• Uber to create 150 jobs by the end of 2015 in Limerick city and to invest €4m in the city as it looks to strengthen its customer services team
• Limerick Centre of Excellence to become the first customer support hub of its type outside the US
• The investment is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland
THE announcement that there are 300 jobs on the way for the city – 150 of them to be in place before Christmas – has caused huge excitement among city businesses and drawn a welcome from every avenue.
And this may not be the end of the good news for Limerick as speculation is rife that a second major company is expected to announce that they will be establishing a base in the Henry Street area of the city before the end of the year.
This development is unrelated to the €4 million investment that will see Uber, the San Francisco-based online transportation service, establish its first centre of excellence outside the United States in Limerick city centre.
The leading on-demand car service made the announcement this week that the centre will create 150 jobs in the city by the end of the year and around 300 when it is fully up and running.
Uber is already advertising for an initial 50 jobs as it looks to start operations here by the end of August, and has signed a ten-year lease on a site on Thomas Street that will become home to 300 local employees when fully operational.
Uber is a technology platform that connects passengers and drivers in real time, offering a low-cost, convenient and safe lift. The company has rapidly expanded throughout the world and is currently in 329 cities in 59 countries.
The centre of excellence will cater for countries and cities outside the US.
Welcoming the Uber investment as a massive boost for Limerick and the IT sector in Ireland, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said: “We are particularly delighted to welcome a world leading company, operating at the cutting-edge of innovative technology, to Limerick city centre. Uber will become a major part of the Limerick economy.
“Ireland is proving to be a hugely attractive country for foreign investment, especially Limerick which has a history of attracting innovative technology companies due to our well-educated university graduates”.
Kieran Harte, general manager for Uber Ireland said there could be no better place to launch such a centre than in Ireland.
“We are so thrilled to be here and setting up our operations in this city, which has a tradition of welcoming innovative technology companies. Not only are we investing in the city, we’re also proud to be bringing employment at all levels to the region.”
Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan said the announcement was another good day on the jobs front for Limerick.
“The fact that Uber chose Limerick for its first major investment outside the US is a testament to what Limerick has to offer both in terms of a skilled workforce and a dynamic, attractive city in which to locate. I am particularly pleased that the main Uber location will be in the city centre. This will support the major improvements we are seeing in the centre of Limerick City.
“This is a really positive boost to our local economy and small businesses in Limerick as 300 wage packets are spent on local services”, she added.
Limerick Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell said it was another strong vote of confidence in the city and the quality of the workforce there.
“One of the significant features of this announcement is its location in Thomas Street which will have a positive spin-off for the entire economic development of the city centre”.
Limerick City and County Council also welcomed the news.
Cllr Ger Mitchell, Deputy Mayor of the City and County of Limerick said Uber’s planned investment was “a clear indication of Limerick’s growing status as an attractive location for investment”.
Limerick Metropolitan District Mayor Cllr Jerry O’Dea said the “positive, collaborative working relationship” that has been established between Limerick City and County Council and regional development agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to promote Limerick and the wider region as a location for investment is delivering “real and tangible results” for Limerick and the wider region.
“This is fantastic news for Limerick considering it follows so soon after Dell announced the creation of 100 new highly skilled engineer jobs in Raheen, Viagogo.com confirmed it is to open a purpose-built international operations centre in Limerick, and Vistakon announced it was investing €100 million in its manufacturing operations in Limerick”.
