US firm SAS to add new jobs to Scotland

Almost 100 new jobs are to be created in Scotland by an American business analytics company.

SAS, the US-based firm, is to offer 94 new jobs over the next four years and safeguard 126 existing positions with the support of an investment package announced in New York during a meeting with the First Minister.

Alex Salmond, who met senior SAS representatives as part of his Scotland Week programme of business meetings, described the move as a “significant feather in Scotland’s cap”.

Mr Salmond said: “The new facility will position Scotland as an international centre of excellence for big data analytics and will create a substantial number of highly-skilled, high-value jobs.

Workforce

“Scotland offers international companies a well-educated and trained workforce, competitive infrastructure and supportive government agencies, and this investment by SAS is a terrific example of how that international reputation pays off.”

This development follows news that 126 jobs will be created in Inverness by American life sciences company Daktari.

The First Minister is attending a number of economic and business events in New York and Washington with a view to increasing exports, investment and employment.

The trade mission, run by Scottish Development International (SDI), will also visit Toronto in Canada next week.

Mikael Hagstrom, SAS executive vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (AP), said: “We’re proud to be building on our existing operations in Scotland. We established our global research and development team to create business applications which will help modernise law enforcement, improve public safety and enhance national security.

Investment

“The initial investments allowed SAS to see the real Scottish potential with access to the excellent pool of talent from Scottish universities and its strong culture of innovation. Our plans for the new SAS facility further underline our commitment to investing in Scotland.”

The US is a “key economic priority” for Scotland, according to the First Minister, who said America is the strongest export market for Scotland.

Scotland gains more foreign direct investment (FDI) than any other part of the UK towards creating jobs, according to the Ernst and Young 2012 Attractiveness Survey.

The report compares jobs created across the 12 nations and regions of the UK and placed Scotland at the top of the pile last year as well for FDI.

In 2011, almost 6,000 jobs were created in Scotland, 50% more than 2010, according to the survey.