ONE of Worcester's biggest employers has hinted it could soon be creating even more jobs in the city after posting successful half-year results.

Misys General Insurance, which sells IT systems to insurance brokers, achieved half-year revenues of £16m in the six months up to November 2004 - up seven per cent up on the previous year - and an operating profit of £7m - up eight per cent on the previous year.

Misys began trading in Worcester more than 25 years ago and now employs 300 people within its general insurance division.

As a result of the recent success, parent company Misys Plc has said it will create further jobs as the city business expands.

Although exact details have not been released, Phillip Bell, CEO, Misys General Insurance, said the profits "will enable us to continue to invest in research and development and to create further jobs."

"The majority of our staff are from Worcester and the surrounding areas and we would not have achieved the level of success that we have without their commitment," he said

"Overall, the outlook for Misys General Insurance looks extremely promising. We believe we are well placed to continue to grow and produce another very strong performance."

Turnover

The news was not as good for Misys Plc though.

The parent company recorded a half-year turnover of £437m compared to £471m for the same period in 2003.

But far from being deterred by this, executive chairman Kevin Lomax said local successes such as that by Misys General Insurance had put the firm in a position "to take advantage of market opportunities."

"The strength of our customer base, together with the launch last year of new products, contributed to the rise of revenues," he said.

"In General Insurance we expect the good growth achieved in the first half to continue."