A major consulting firm is bringing almost 50 jobs to Northern Ireland.

Invest NI has offered £450,000 of support to secure the expansion which will double HR consultant company Mercer’s existing presence in Belfast and generate additional annual salaries of over £1m.

USA-based Mercer’s Retirement Service Centre in Belfast currently provides back-office actuarial services for Mercer’s UK business.

The expansion will see it expand its services to support Mercer’s customers in mainland Europe. The news comes following the announcement of 50 new |software jobs being created in Belfast by US-based ATG.

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said that the investment will help broaden Mercer’s services into key European markets.

“This is an extremely important investment, as it will allow Northern Ireland to demonstrate once again its diverse and talented workforce, and its close proximity to Europe, which benefits |so many international companies.” she said. The US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly welcomed the announcement.

“Companies like Mercer have offices around the globe, and their continued investment in Northern Ireland speaks volumes to the high-quality employees, low operating costs and other advantages the region offers,” he said.

“We look forward to building on the momentum of this announcement later this month at the US – NI Economic Conference in Washington.

“There we will have the opportunity to present the investment case for Northern Ireland to over a dozen potential investors.