Insurance firm set to announce 200 extra jobs in Letterkenny

A US insurance company is set to announce an additional 200 jobs in Co Donegal today.

The United Health Group already employs 340 staff at its base at the enterprise park in Letterkenny.

The company, which processes medical insurance claims for 11 different organisations in the worldwide market, employs a total of 80,000 staff.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan is expected to make the announcement at the company’s offices. Last week Ms Coughlan said she was working around the clock to bring jobs to Donegal, which is an unemployment blackspot.

The new jobs will be split between IT technicians and medical claims associates.

The company, which was formerly named PacifiCare, became United Health Group in 2006.

From its mobile base in Letterkenny, the firm pays out tens of millions of dollars in claims across the US each day.

The announcement will be a hugely welcome boost for the northwest, which has recorded some of the highest unemployment figures in the country.

A spokesman for the United Health Group said yesterday he could not comment on the pending jobs announcement.

“We would rather not say anything at the moment. An official announcement will be made in due course.”

Separately, IT services and consultancy company Version 1 yesterday said it would create 100 new jobs at its offices in Dublin, Cork and Belfast over the next three years.

The firm said the expansion, which would increase its overall workforce at the three centres to 200, followed strong growth in the first half of 2010.

The company said it expected its turnover this year to increase by nearly 50 per cent to €17.5 million.

“We have a strong deals pipeline and over 20 open positions, as well as a number of graduate opportunities,” said managing director Justin Keatinge.

“We have grown steadily since our inception in 1996, and believe that Version 1 is entering a period of renewed growth and expansion.”

Version 1 recently purchased global project management firm PM Group’s IT services unit PM Centrix, bringing its customer base to 220. The firm offers services in consulting, systems integration and outsourced managed services.

“We expect this deal to benefit all our customers by strengthening our expertise in Microsoft technology, particularly SharePoint, and enhancing our ability to deliver our services to the Munster region through our new Cork office,” said Mr Keatinge.

Version 1, which was founded in 1996, has not received any external funding.

It is privately held by its founders Mr Keatinge, John Mullen and company director Tom O’Connor.