UKG, the US-based payroll and human resources software company, is to create 200 jobs at its Kilkenny base which has been chosen as its new global operations hub.
The company, which is supported by IDA Ireland, has operated a facility on the outskirts of Kilkenny City since acquiring multinational payroll technology company Immedis in 2023.
UKG said Kilkenny has become a “thriving technology hub” in recent times, specialising in cybersecurity. The company said it will create roughly 200 new roles in the area, “with a focus on cybersecurity, but also including customer success, research and development, and professional services”.
“We’re on a mission to give every organisation the opportunity to become a great place to work through technology built for all, and Kilkenny’s vibrant technology community will provide key talent to help us achieve this goal,” said Hugo Sarrazin, president, chief product and technology officer at UKG.
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“With more than 80,000 customers located around the world, our Irish team joins a robust security and network operations group that plays a vital role in safeguarding our solutions.”
Richard Limpkin, co-founder of Immedis and UKG group vice-president, said: “UKG is a sought-after employer all over the world. In just a year, we’ve raised the bar for technology providers in Ireland and are proud to partner with the Irish Government to anchor Kilkenny’s thriving technology sector for years to come.”
Michael Lohan, chief executive of IDA Ireland, said UKG is “widely respected for driving innovation”. He said: “Creating high value job opportunities in regional locations like Kilkenny is one of IDA’s key strategic pillars. UKG’s plan to create 200 jobs in the region is a testament to the strength of our technology community within Ireland’s regions.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris, meanwhile, said the announcement adds to Kilkenny’s “growing success” as a location for foreign direct investment from international technology companies.
UKG acquired Immedis, a subsidiary of Irish businessman Terry Clune’s CluneTech group, in a deal said to be worth €575 million in June 2023.
That price tag valued Mr Clune’s holding at the time at about €345 million. The businessman owned more than 60 per cent of Immedis through CluneTech and shares he held himself in the business he founded nine years ago.
Several multinationals have announced IDA-supported investments in Kilkenny in recent times, including US bank State Street. The financial services group, which has had a presence in the area for more than two decades, opened a new office and cybersecurity centre at IDA Ireland Business and Technology Park near the city in March.
Last year, Abbott turned the sod on its €440 million investment in a new greenfield manufacturing facility in Kilkenny and the expansion of its existing site in Donegal, creating 1000 new jobs, most of them in Kilkenny.
The company will use the Kilkenny facility to make its FreeStyle Libre technology for people with diabetes. Abbott’s glucose monitors allow diabetes patients to avoid carrying out finger-prick tests several times a day to check glucose levels.
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