PROFESSIONAL services firm Deloitte has significantly stepped up its recruitment intentions in Belfast with plans to create 300 more jobs than previously announced.
The company, one of the so-called 'big four' accountancy firms, now aims to have a workforce of 1,000 in the north by 2020.
And it will make Deloitte's Belfast operation its biggest presence outside London.
At the end of 2014, the company had announced plans to create 338 jobs over five years.
That formed part of a £30 million expansion of its Belfast Delivery Centre and was backed by £2.6m in public money.
However, staff numbers are now forecast to have increased by 700 by 2020.
The firm said the additional roles would build on its technology studio, in areas such as data science and analytics, cyber security and digital engineering.
There will also be new positions in the company's human capital, actuarial, tax and audit practices.
Of its original pledge, Deloitte has already hired 200 staff.
It now employs 460 people in Northern Ireland and has 43 apprentices due to start in September.
Deloitte UK chairman Nick Owen said the Belfast expansion was "testament to the success that the team here has enjoyed since announcing significant expansion plans and the breadth of expertise within the business".
"This commitment by Deloitte reflects the confidence we have in Belfast as a great place to do business and a hotbed of talent, particularly for graduates and school-leavers," he said.
"It also demonstrates our continued commitment to social mobility as a core part of our talent strategy and our desire to continue to further deliver on this commitment in Northern Ireland."
He made the announcement along with the company's UK chief executive David Sproul when they met first minister Arlene Foster and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness in Belfast.
Deloitte's senior partner in Belfast Jackie Henry said the meeting "confirmed our belief that Belfast will continue to be a good place to do business in the years ahead".
"During our meeting we discussed a number of issues, including the apprenticeship levy that is due to come into force in 2017.
"The skills agenda is absolutely critical to Deloitte’s view of Belfast as a centre of excellence and we hope the new Department for the Economy will continue to see value in investing in the local skills base," she said.
Mrs Foster said the announcement by Deloitte was "a strong endorsement of Northern Ireland’s dynamic economy".
"Deloitte is making this commitment based on the talent and quality of staff in Belfast and it is a clear indicator of the confidence that the firm has in Northern Ireland as a business friendly economy that will continue to grow and attract investment," she said.
Mr McGuinness added: “Investment by companies like Deloitte signals to other potential investors we continue to offer an attractive ‘pro-business’ environment.”
