Business services

The business services sector in Northern Ireland comprises CRM, financial and technical support services, with investors including Halifax, Yell, Regus, Dankse, Abbey and Stream International.

Indian based HCL Technologies, one of the world’s largest providers of software led IT solutions is also here.

Businesses of this calibre have been attracted by Northern Ireland’s highly competitive cost base, its excellent telecoms infrastructure and the ready availability of skilled employees. Read about Northern Ireland as a cost-efficient location. These are also the main reasons why Belfast scores over competing centres in the business services sector in the UK and Ireland.

Research evidence

Belfast has been named as the top ranking centre in the UK for overall customer call and contact centre-based activities, with the Newry and Armagh region coming second. Sector penetration remains much lower in Belfast compared to rival cities of a similar size and status.

A Gartner study (June 2005) compared the merits for a near-shore location for contact centres in Northern Ireland with those of the Republic of Ireland. According to Gartner, Northern Ireland offers:

• a highly educated, multi-lingual workforce
• an excellent telecommunications structure

Other research reveals that:

• Northern Ireland locations, in particular Belfast, Derry, Newry and Armagh retain considerable cost advantage over all other areas in the region.  (OMIS, August 2006)

Labour force

There is a significant labour pool of potential returners and students available in Northern Ireland. This means dedicated and skilled employees are available at a highly competitive price.

Download a guide to the Busines Services sector in Northern Ireland (PDF)