Salesforce has announced the company will invest $4 billion in its UK business in the next five years. The company has been investing in the UK for many years and today’s investment builds on a previous five-year investment of $2.5 billion announced in 2018.
“Salesforce’s major investment in its UK business over the next five years is a ringing endorsement of our economy,” said UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. “It will strengthen the company’s UK presence, increasing capacity, as well as creating vital jobs, reinforcing our position as one of their largest markets outside of the U.S. This investment sits alongside my key priority to grow the economy and pledge to make the UK the best place in the world to start, grow and invest in tech businesses.”
Salesforce and its ecosystem of customers and partners in the UK are expected to create 271,700 new jobs and £52 billion ($66 billion) in new business revenues by 2026, according to research by IDC. Yet the emergence of generative AI serves as a powerful reminder of the digital skills crisis facing UK businesses.
Salesforce has also committed to investing in digital skills training. Last year the company announced a grant of over £1.1 million to support education programs in the UK and is urging businesses and governments to work together to establish a national online digital skills platform to show people where to access the training they need.