Web publishing company chose Ireland ‘over many other locations’
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the decision by Squarespace to locate their European headquarters in Dublin was a ‘signal of Ireland’s growing reputation as the Internet capital of Europe’. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times
Web publishing company Squarespace is to establish its European headquarters in Dublin with the creation of 100 new jobs.
The online platform allows users to create blogs, web pages, online shops and galleries without using computer code.
The new Dublin operation will serve customers around the world, providing hosting, content management, domain names, social integrations, e-commerce, and 24-hour customer support.
Making the announcement in Dublin this morning, Squarespace chief operating officer Jesse Hertzberg said they had chosen Dublin as their first location outside of New York City because it provided a “friendly, young and talented workforce in a vibrant city centre location”.
“We hire staff based on personality, and the Irish are famous for being gregarious and friendly and warm and welcoming,” he said. “That is the number one reason we picked Ireland. ”
Customer care roles will be filled over the next six months, with recruitment for marketing and business development positions beginning in 2014, Mr Hertzberg said.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who attended this morning’s announcement, said the decision by Squarespace to locate its European operation here was a “signal of Ireland’s growing reputation as the Internet capital of Europe”.
“This means great opportunities for our bright, highly-skilled workforce,” he said.
“We are determined to foster a supportive and flexible enterprise environment so that Ireland’s digital economy can continue to grow.”
The Taoiseach added that it had been a “particularly good 24 hours on the job front”, with the announcement yesterday of 1,600 jobs for a new Glanbia plant in the southeast, and 1,000 new construction jobs for a major upgrade of the N11 and N7 road networks.
Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton said ICT was a key sector in the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.
“We are building a really exciting cluster in the whole ICT space. In the last two years we have had 11,000 net new jobs in ICT,” he said.
“Squarespace is a highly innovative company and a leader in its field, and today’s announcement that it is establishing its European headquarters in Dublin and creating 100 high-quality jobs is great news for the city and the sector.”
IDA Ireland, the agency responsible for attracting foreign investment into Ireland, has been working with Squarespace on the initiative over the past 12 months.