Computer manufacturer Dell Inc. says it is hiring another 250 employees for its Edmonton operations, bringing the total number of employees there to 1,000.

The new hiring announcement marks the second time the company has increased staffing numbers there. In July 2004, when it announced that Edmonton would be its chosen site, staffing levels were set at 500.

"The quality of the workforce was so solid that we increased the headcount to 750 - a 50-per-cent increase - in January 2005," says Dell spokeswoman Michelle Blood.

The Edmonton facility provides technical support and customer service for business and consumer customers in Canada and the United States.

Dell Canada also announced that it will begin construction on a dedicated building for its Edmonton customer contact centre, to be located at 151 Karl Clark Rd., in the southside Edmonton Research Park.

The company has contracted Dawson Wallace Construction Ltd. of Edmonton to build the three-storey, 132,000-sq.-ft. facility. Over 20 years, Dell's presence in Edmonton is expected to generate economic spinoffs of $1.2 billion for the region.

The company, which reported revenue of $52.8 billion for the last four quarters, previously selected Ottawa for a new customer contact centre that will open in February 2006.

Dell Canada Inc. says it expects to employ about 500 people at its facility in the Kanata region, in the west end of Ottawa, over the next several years. The company also has offices in Toronto and Montreal.

Dell Canada president Greg Davis said having a larger presence in Edmonton and Ottawa will help sales efforts to the Canadian oil industry and the federal and Alberta governments.

Founder Michael Dell said in an interview that his Texas-based company, with 27 call centres worldwide and no traditional retail outlets, has been impressed with its Canadian workforce - particularly in Edmonton.

"In the last 18 months, our head count has more than doubled in Canada. With Ottawa coming online, we will continue to add to our head count. So I think it will grow pretty substantially," Dell said.

Dell has more than 64,000 employees worldwide, about half of them in the Americas.

- With files from The Canadian Press