September 14, 2015, SAINT JOHN (GNB) – Air Canada has hired almost 80 new full-time employees at its customer service call centre in Saint John, with support from the provincial government.
The centre had previously expanded by about 50 employees in April of 2014. In total, the centre now employs almost 270 people.
“Creating jobs and developing a skilled workforce are key factors to continued economic growth that promotes long-term prosperity in our province,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “We are pleased that Air Canada has chosen to again grow its customer service call centre in Saint John by creating more jobs.”
The centre provides sales, marketing, and customer service to customers. The agents handle inbound and outbound customer requests.
“Air Canada has a strong presence in the Province of New Brunswick and we are proud to announce today that our footprint has increased,” said Derek Vanstone, vice-president of corporate strategy and government affairs. “The need for additional call centre agents is a direct result of our global growth. With the support of the New Brunswick government and the quality of the services provided by our call centre agents in both official languages, Saint John is a logical place to grow.”
Under the terms of the extended agreement, Opportunities NB is providing up to $360,000 in payroll rebates over the next five years to support up to 80 additional new jobs. The overall investment by the company and government will contribute $3.25 million annually to the province’s gross domestic product once all the positions have been filled.
“Opportunities NB is pleased to provide support to Air Canada as it expands its business in Saint John,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB. “This opportunity fits our mandate of focusing on high-performance, high-growth opportunities and on growing New Brunswick’s economy.”
Air Canada operates a number of customer service call centres around the world, the largest of which are in Saint John, Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg as well as its American call centre in Tampa, FL.
Air Canada is the largest Canadian full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S, trans-border market and in the international market to and from Canada. Together with its regional partners, the company served 38.5 million passengers in 2014 and provided direct passenger service to more than 190 destinations on five continents.
Opportunities NB is a provincial government agency which seeks to attract and support high-growth opportunities to grow the New Brunswick economy and create jobs. It provides business support services for small and medium-sized, as well as large businesses across the province.
MEDIA CONTACT(S):
Carolyn McCormack, communications, Opportunities NB, 506-453-8168.
Air Canada Corporate Communications, 514-422-7794.