Hobart
Vodafone Hutchison Australia has today announced 750 new customer service jobs in Hobart, thanks to a $4 million investment by the Gillard Government.
Backed by the Gillard Government and the Tasmanian Government, Vodafone will create up to 70 extra jobs a month over the next year - 750 jobs in total - by expanding its call centre headquarters at Kingston.
And it will more than double employment at the Kingston call centre, which currently employs over 680 people.
The company is making the investment with funding of $4 million from the Gillard Government, and a commitment to work together with Vodafone to increase the skills of the company's Tasmanian workforce and to help them harness the benefits of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The $4 million in funding will contribute to the cost of transition from Vodafone's offshore operations.
The Tasmanian Government is providing $850,000 for infrastructure costs and waiving payroll tax for Vodafone's new employees.
The new jobs would include positions in highly skilled and technical roles and widen employment opportunities for Tasmanians.
In addition to the direct employment which would flow from this proposal, there will be significant additional benefits from the building and operation of new infrastructure and the flow on effects to the local economy.
This is a vote of confidence in the abilities of local employees to provide the level of service required by Vodafone to meet its customer needs.
Vodafone Chief Executive Officer Bill Morrow said the investment was an example of how both government and private industry can work together to create jobs, respond to consumer preferences about service delivery and support local communities.
“We are thrilled with the support of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Tasmanian Government, as we strive to deliver the best experience for Vodafone customers,'' Mr Morrow said.
We have a long-standing commitment to Tasmania and we are proud to be strengthening our ties to this community.''
Premier Lara Giddings said today's news was one of the biggest jobs announcements in the state's history.
“The investment by Vodafone to double their Tasmanian workforce up to 1500 employees is a massive boost for the economy,'' Premier Giddings said.
“This is great example of State and Federal Labor working together with the private sector to grow jobs and opportunities for Tasmanians.''
The NBN is at an advanced stage at Kingston and this will complement Vodafone activities.
The NBN is likely to feature in Vodafone's longer term planning of the services that it will deliver out of the expanded centre.
This is an exciting opportunity for Tasmanians and a welcome development. It will provide training, employment and business opportunities for the region.
It demonstrates the commitment of the Gillard Government to policies which support and create Australian jobs.
Vodafone expects the employment targets to be achieved over the 2013-14 financial year.