For many in the Saint John business community, 2017 ended with disappointment over the loss of the Energy East pipeline. But the New Year brings new hope and some promising developments for the Port City.

For three years, Nordia Telecommunications in Saint John has employed over 300 people, but that number is about to grow. More than 140 jobs were recently created at the Saint John office.

"It's mainly a customer service project, and we felt that from a skill set perspective, Saint John was really the perfect location," says Dan Fraser, Site Director of Operations for Nordia Atlantic Canada.

It's the latest in a series of positive economic developments for the city, which is desperate to stop its chronic population decline.

Enterprise Saint John, an agency that attracts jobs, recently welcomed Andrew Oland as chairman, a familiar face in the business community.

"I own a business in Greater Saint John. I have three adult children who are all working; none of them are working in New Brunswick. So I’m as committed as anyone to seeing a Greater Saint John grow and prosper," says Andrew Oland.

Oland says his number one priority is to attract more young people to the community. But to get them here, they'll need jobs.

According to the city’s Mayor, hundreds of vacancies need to be filled.

"There are over 550 jobs unfilled in Saint John right now. We have employers like JD Irving that have announced they'll need 2000 people over the next 2-3 years in Saint John alone." says Saint John Mayor Don Darling.

As part of Nordia's recruitment campaign, the company is encouraging job seekers to stop by its Saint John centre this coming Wednesday, to learn more about the positions.

"Mainly customer service, sales and technical support. It could be cellular phones, it could be TV or internet, home phones, things of that nature," says Fraser.

Nordia employs thousands of people across the country, a large portion of those in Atlantic Canada. By the end of this year, this multi-million dollar facility hopes to have 600 employees.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Mary Cranston.