The Almac Group, which is based in Craigavon, has created almost 100 full time jobs in Northern Ireland in the first two months of 2009. Twenty full time positions were filled in January with an additional 25 new recruits due to come on board this month. A further 54 jobs have already been advertised. Over 90% of the new full time positions are aimed at graduates, with scientists in particular being sought by the pharmaceutical company. Almac expanded its workforce by 250 in total last year. This brings its Northern Ireland total to 1,559 and 2,422 worldwide.
The new jobs have been created across the range of Almac’s research and pharmaceutical development activities. Chief executive Alan Armstrong is confident that 2009 will be a year of significant growth for the company. The continued growth in employee numbers also extends to the US operation of Almac where 52 new recruits have joined the company since the beginning of this year.
“Last year we grew our employee numbers by 15% in Northern Ireland. In the first two months of this year we will have recruited 99 full time staff and an additional 28 temporary workers. This is down to the continued success of the company in the pharmaceutical sector and particularly in the clinical trial and research areas. Almac is a Northern Ireland organisation which is operating at the very highest level of pharmaceutical development,” said Mr Armstrong.
“The vast majority of positions we are seeking to fill require a third level qualification so, despite the negativity which may exist, there are opportunities for local graduates to enter employment. We are particularly looking for graduates qualified in scientific disciplines. We continue to invest in both our people and our structures. Here in Craigavon we have invested in new IT systems and infrastructure. Later this year we will open a new analytical annex while, in Philadelphia, considerable progress has been made on our new US headquarters. We believe strongly in both the quality of our staff and the service we provide for our clients. The success of this business is driven by its employees and this year will see an ever-increasing number joining the Almac family,” he concluded.
