Social media giant Facebook said Monday that it would create 500 new jobs when it opens its new London headquarters next year, most of them based there.
The decision comes despite the planned Brexit, with a top Facebook executive saying that Britain “remains one of the best places to be a tech company.”
Facebook said the addition of 500 staff will boost its overall U.K. workforce by 50 percent to 1,500. Fellow Silicon Valley giant Google recently announced plans to expand its London presence, possibly bringing 3,000 jobs to the U.K. capital.
“We came to London in 2007 with just a handful of people, by the end of next year we will have opened a new headquarters,” said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s vp for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “Many of those new roles will be high skilled engineering jobs as the U.K. is home to our largest engineering base outside of the U.S.”
The new Facebook building has been under construction in the London district of Fitzrovia.
“The expansion of @facebook is another sign that #LondonIsOpen to talent & innovation from all corners of the world,” tweeted London mayor Sadiq Khan.
He also told the Evening Standard: “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.”
