Cognizant Answers 7 Questions About Its Halifax Office That Will Eventually Employ 1,250 People
HALIFAX – The multinational tech giant Cognizant announced last week that they were setting up a new office in Halifax, which could create upwards of 1,250 jobs within the province.
The deal that brought Cognizant to Halifax was struck with the help of crown corporation Nova Scotia Business Inc. If the tech company succeeds in creating that many jobs, NSBI estimates $330-million will be paid out in salaries and benefits. Cognizant, meanwhile, can earn back $27-million from the province in the form of payroll rebates.
NSBI CEO Laurel Broten says the economic impact of having more than 1,000 good-paying jobs in the province will be felt beyond just salaries and taxes.
“There’s all sorts of other benefits that come out of 1,250 roles being created; new people moving to the province, graduates able to find opportunities…obviously, the economic impact is much larger than the direct (impact),” she said at the time of the announcement.
At the time of the announcement, Cognizant didn’t provide an interview, so Huddle sent the company a series of questions to get more details on their Halifax expansion
How many other cities were considered as a location for the new office? Can you name the cities?
Cognizant continually reviews how we are positioned around the world to best serve our clients. As we considered options for our expansion in Canada, we were drawn to Halifax for its rich talent base, tech community, and thriving academic culture, as well as the overall quality of life the region has to offer.
Do you have an exact office location in Halifax picked out yet?
Yes. 6940 Mumford Road at the Baywest Centre.
How many people have been hired already? What are their duties?
Cognizant is actively hiring IT professionals of all levels, including developers, analysts, quality assurance, cloud engineers, team leads, and more. Plans call for Cognizant to create up to 1,250 new jobs for IT and digital professionals over the next seven years. We encourage anyone with a background in IT to apply at https://Cognizant.com/careers/.
Why did Cognizant choose Halifax? What does the city have that makes it a viable option?
We were drawn to Halifax for its rich talent base, tech community and thriving academic culture, as well as the overall quality of life the region has to offer. With Nova Scotia growing, Halifax is a dynamic place to be, and our expansion here is ideally situated to serve our client needs. We thank the Province of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Business Inc (NSBI) for their support of our plan to expand in Halifax. We look forward to contributing to the community, providing opportunities for technology professionals to build and expand their careers with us.
How confident are you that Cognizant will be able to hire 1,250 people?
Our plan is to hire up to 1,250 individuals over seven years in the Halifax region as we build to serve client needs. The need for modern businesses to embrace digital technologies has only accelerated – and our business has grown accordingly. At the close of the third quarter of 2021, Cognizant reported that it had grown to its largest number of employees yet, at approximately 318,000 worldwide.
When do you expect to have the Halifax office up and operational?
Hiring is underway, and we expect the buildout of the new office to be completed in late spring 2022. Cognizant will continue to monitor the global pandemic and government regulations, as the health and safety of our employees and contractors, their families, our clients and our communities remain our top priority.
What will be the primary duties and goals of the Halifax office?
Cognizant employees in Halifax will contribute to the company’s capabilities to help its clients modernize their operating and technology models for the digital era through business, IT, and consulting services. Job opportunities will span a wide array of IT roles, including developers, analysts, quality assurance, cloud engineers, team leads, and more.
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Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].