Avaya Jobs Shows Innovation To Ireland’s Future, Says Bruton

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton has welcomed the announcement by Avaya, the government-supported global communications, software and services company, of the creation of 75 jobs as part of a research and development facility in Galway.

Minister Bruton said: “This is the kind of investment that I intend to champion through my Department and its agencies. The Customer Experience Centre being launched represents an innovation in collaborative technology development, and Avaya is already recruiting staff in R&D, engineering, finance, IT and administrative support.”

He added: “The jobs of the future will depend on investment in both foreign-owned and home-grown research and development. The plan I’m developing will ensure that we accelerate our support of companies like Avaya, as well as nurturing the development of innovative home-grown businesses in this sector.”

The measures the Minister intends to promote to encourage development include: Allowing companies with an R&D expenditure of less than €100,000 to claim a full tax credit for this expenditure; Allowing the R&D tax credit to be offset against employers’ PRSI; and cutting red tape on R&D companies.

He concluded: “If we are to protect and create jobs, we must get costs down, get credit lines flowing and grow and encourage high-tech companies through policy measures such as these. I commend the IDA on their continued work in this area, and I will continue to fight to ensure that these high-end jobs are created to get people working and recreate much-needed confidence in our economy.”

(BMcN/GK)