German software giant SAP is to create 150 jobs in Dublin and Galway over the next 18 months.

The roles will be in a range of areas, including sales, development, and customer support.

SAP said the investment is happening in Ireland because of the available talent.

"We have a very young and educated workforce and a young population," said Cormac Watters, Managing Director of SAP UK and Ireland.

"We're attractive to all EU member states and wider, we've multiple languages – it is a nice place to be."

The announcement comes as SAP celebrates 20 years in Ireland.

The firm initially began its Irish operation with 30 staff. This latest expansion will bring to over 2,000 the number of people employed by the company at its offices in Dublin and Galway.

SAP is an application and platform software company that produces a wide range of software for businesses.

The Irish arm of SAP works across 40 lines of the business, including research and development, innovation, sales & marketing, and customer support.

SAP employs people from 60 different countries at its Irish offices, who collectively speak 47 different languages.

The announcement was made by the company's global CEO, Bill McDermott, at a special event in Dublin's Aviva stadium.

The investment has been welcomed by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell-O'Connor and Martin Shanahan, the chief executive of the IDA, which supported the investment.

Technology firm to create 300 jobs in Belfast