Skip to main content

Facebook To Hire 500 UK Staff Next Year To Boost Engineer Workforce


Facebook is to expand its British workforce by half when it moves into its new London headquarters next year, the company will announce.





The company currently employs about 1,000 staff in the UK and plans to add another 500 employees, many in highly skilled areas such as engineering roles, the company’s European head Nicola Mendelsohn will announce at a conference of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).


Expanded engineering base


Facebook's new headquarters

The social media company’s new offices, where the majority of its staff will be based, are to be located at a site currently undergoing redevelopment in Fitzrovia, near the West End, and are set to open in 2017.

“The UK remains one of the best places to be a tech company,” Lady Mendelsohn stated. “By the end of next year we will have opened a new HQ and plan to employ 1,500 people.”

She noted that the UK hosts Facebook’s largest engineering base outside the US, including its Aquila project, based in Somerset, for providing Internet connectivity to remote areas via solar-powered unmanned planes.

London engineers are involved in the development of the Workplace enterprise offering, made generally available last month after a period of trials.

The new hires are to include engineers, marketers, project managers and sales staff.

Brexit turmoil

The news follows Google’s formal announcement last week that it would push ahead with a £1 billion UK expansion that had been thrown into doubt by the EU referendum and disagreements over the design of massive new Kings Cross premises.

Amazon has said it plans to move from its longtime base in Slough to a 15-floor office in the City of London next year.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said Facebook’s move indicated continued confidence in the British economy by major US companies.

“The capital’s vibrant tech scene is the envy of Europe, and Facebook’s continuing commitment is another sign that London is open to talent, innovation and entrepreneurship from all four corners of the world,” he stated.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Security Alert; Bart Ransomware Bypasses Corporate Firewalls

A new ransomware variant has emerged that’s similar to widespread threats such as Dridex 220 and Locky Affid=3, but uses a security-evading technique that may allow it to attack organisations protected from other malware, according to computer security researchers. Ransomware has spread quickly in the last few months, as a number of payouts have attracted cyber-criminals to the technique.
Post a Comment
Read more

Floods Leave Many Dead in Southern Ghana

Four days of heavy and steady rain has left at least 10 people dead in the south of Ghana. The streets of Accra have been left under water after the torrential downpours caused widespread flooding earlier this week. The nation's capital was hit bit 185mm of rain on Sunday, which is more than they would expect for the entire month of June. This is the wettest month of the year with an average rainfall of 178mm. Since the weekend a further 50mm of rain has fallen exacerbating the severe problems already faced. President John Dramani Mahama has surveyed the areas concerned. He was reported to have driven through several neighbourhoods on a motorcycle. Heavy downpours were also recorded 150km to the west of Accra in the Central Regional capital, Cape Coast where 10 people died in floods,  Sandy Amartey, regional coordinator of the National Disaster Management organisation, told AFP. "In all we have 10 to 12 who lost their lives during this rainy season." The rain...
Post a Comment
Read more

Etisalat Has Launched Its Mobile (4G LTE) Services In Nigerian

The Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, who announced the new service roll-out, said the latest offering demonstrates the telco’s unwavering commitment to deliver superior customer experience to its subscribers.
Post a Comment
Read more