Software development and business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Northbrook Technology is to create 400 new jobs in the north as part of a £23.5m expansion.

The investment is being supported by £5.6m of assistance from Invest Northern Ireland and will enable the company to significantly expand its software development function in the north.

Northbrook Technology already employs 1,400 people across three locations in Belfast, Derry and Strabane.

The new software development jobs will be divided between the firm's Belfast and Derry plants, and it's estimated they will inject almost £10m in salaries annually into the local economy.

Northbrook, which is a subsidiary of the Illinois-based insurance giant Allstate, first opened for business in Northern Ireland in 1999. In 2004, it announced it would be investing in its Belfast facility and also setting up new offices in Strabane and Derry. The company said at the time that the investment would create more than 660 new jobs by 2006.

"Today's announcement underpins Northbrook's long term commitment to Northern Ireland and sends a clear message that Northern Ireland can be a serious contender in the global software market," said Invest Northern Ireland chairman Stephen Kingon.

"This investment is a further step in our determination to drive the local economy up the value chain. It will increase Northern Ireland's international competitiveness and enhance our reputation as a preferred location for high value-added investment," he added.

Copyright © 2006, ENN