MORE than 500 call centre jobs could be created in the North-East by Barclays.
The banking group plans to recruit about 1,500 workers for its four call centres across the country.
It says that more than a third could be at its biggest centre at Doxford Park, Sunderland, which already has 1,250 employees.
The expansion was needed to respond to customer demand for banking by phone, said Paul Smith, Barclays call centre resource manager. The centre on Wearside has already grown - 200 staff were taken on earlier this year.
News of the jobs follows the decision taken by car part maker Federal Mogul to close its Sunderland plant with the loss of 400 and clothing maker Dewhirst shedding 450 people and moving to Morocco.
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