2,600 new jobs pledged for NI

A record number of new jobs have been promised for Northern Ireland by first-time investors, the Industrial Development Board has claimed. A total of 2,600 jobs have been promised, mostly from US investors, according to figures released yesterday. But despite this the number of people employed in IDB-backed companies fell last year. The Asian crisis and strong pound meant fewer companies expanded, and overall employment fell in IDB-backed firms by more than 500.