Insurer Unum to set up service centre in Ireland

DUBLIN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Unum Group (UNM.N), the largest disability insurer in the United States and Britain, will set up a software service centre in southeast Ireland, creating up to 200 jobs, Unum and Irish officials said on Friday.

"Unum's decision today and the announcement of a further 200 jobs in a technology centre ... is fantastic news," Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheal Martin told RTE radio.

Recruitment in the town of Carlow, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Dublin, will begin on Friday, an Unum official told the radio. U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co (MRK.N) announced in November it would build a 200 million euro plant in Carlow, creating 170 new jobs. (Reporting by Andras Gergely; Editing by Paul Bolding)