Following Halliburton’s previously announced plans to open a corporate headquarters in the United Arab Emirates, the company now says it will hire more than 13,000 new workers this year, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.
While some feared that Halliburton’s move would mean job cuts in Houston, and possibly a way to evade tax penalties, the company’s memo indicates that new workers will be hired for positions in the United States and other international locations.
The AP reports that the memo to U.S. employees explains that Halliburton hopes to increase its workforce by nearly 30%.
“It is our expectation that our planned growth for 2007 to 2009 will mean that we will hire more than 13,000 new employees in 2007. This will include growth in our Houston employment numbers,” chief operating officer Andy Lane wrote in the memo.
The first employee to announce his departure from the U.S.A. to the U.A.E. is Halliburton’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Dave Lesar.
Lesar announced earlier this week that he will move to the booming metropolis of Dubai to lead the company’s efforts in growing Halliburton’s business in the Eastern Hemisphere, which the company says is an important market for the global oil and gas industry.
Lesar says he will work to strengthen the company’s presence in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Europe/Eurasia regions.