Facebook plans to hire 500 more employees in UK

Facebook plans to expand its presence in the UK and will hire 500 additional employees at its new London headquarters, which will open in 2017. The American social media giant is set to announce on Monday (21 November) that it will up its headcount in the UK by 50%.

It will recruit engineers, marketers, project managers and sales staff to take the number of employees to 1,500 at its London office.

Nicola Mendelsohn, VP of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Facebook, is expected to make the announcement at the Confederation of British Industry's annual conference. According to the Telegraph, Mendelsohn would say, "The UK remains one of the best places to be a tech company and is an important part of Facebook's story.

"We came to London in 2007 with just a handful of people, by the end of next year we will have opened a new HQ and plan to employ 1,500 people.

"Many of those new roles will be high-skilled engineering jobs as the UK is home to our largest engineering base outside of the US."

The announcement is expected to support British Prime Minister Theresa May's efforts in sending out the message that the UK will remain open for business even after it leaves the European Union.

On 15 November, Google CEO Sundar Pichai had also confirmed similar plans. Speaking at the tech giant's current office in London, Pichai said that Google will build a new headquarters at King's Cross and would create 3,000 new jobs in the country by 2020.

Other American companies like Apple and e-commerce giant Amazon have announced similar plans. While the iPhone-maker will move its headquarters to a larger space at Battersea Power Station, Amazon said that it plans to increase its headcount by 1,000.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan hailed Facebook's intentions and said, "Facebook's decision to expand in London is further evidence that London's strength as a tech hub keeps on growing. The capital's vibrant tech scene is the envy of Europe and Facebook's continuing commitment is another sign that London is open to talent, innovation and entrepreneurship from all four corners of the world."