A 'Gem' of a plan for jobs

Gem, the Northern Irish call centre company, is bucking the trend and creating 900 jobs. The expansion plan, assisted by a £5.5m grant from Invest NI, will nearly double the business's existing headcount of 1,000. The £14m-worth of positions will include customer service agents, technical support and management roles. All new recruits are expected to be in place by 2012. The company hopes to expand in the Republic of Ireland, the chief executive, Philip Cassidy, said.