U.S.-based insurance company Aflac Incorporated plans to create 150 jobs as it opens a new technology innovation centre in Northern Ireland.
The Georgia-headquartered firm is setting up a Global IT and Cybersecurity Innovation Centre in Belfast as part of a multimillion-pound investment in Northern Ireland.
Aflac will recruit for the new roles over the next five years, offering opportunities in IT and cybersecurity with an average salary of £45,000 per annum.
When fully operational, the jobs are expected to contribute nearly £7m in wages to the Northern Ireland economy.
It will be in addition to the existing teams in the U.S. and Japan and will support customers and market growth in both of these current Aflac markets.
Economic growth agency Invest NI has offered just over £1m to help secure the project.
Alastair Hamilton, CEO at Invest NI said: “Aflac operates in the two largest insurance markets in the world, the U.S. and Japan.
“The increased safety of its customers is central to its business, and this new centre will ensure Aflac remains at the cutting edge of technology with access to global excellence in cybersecurity.
“The team here will provide technical expertise and operational support to complement its U.S. cybersecurity and IT operations. With a constant drive to innovate and exploit new emerging technologies, this will be an exciting addition to our cybersecurity and ICT sector.”
Virgil Miller is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Aflac U.S., and president of Aflac Group Insurance. He added: “What is particularly attractive about Northern Ireland is the existing expertise in areas such as mobile and cloud development and intelligent surveillance technology.
“Investing in advanced technologies is at the heart of our strategy to deliver an exceptional service experience to our customers, and in Northern Ireland, we know that we can drive world-class innovation for our company.
“We are also pleased that the new centre will provide an additional time zone, enabling expanded threat monitoring and response.”
Aflac currently employs around 4,700 employees in the U.S. and 11,000 globally.
In 2018, Fortune magazine recognised it as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 20th consecutive year.
