Facebook has revealed impressive new plans to double its size.

The social media network has said it intends to enlarge operations, including increasing the number of engineers to improve features and write new code for the global networking site.

The website that links over 800 million users around the world plans to open an engineering centre in New York City at the beginning of next year.

This will be the first of their offices based outside the West Coast.

Facebook Chief Operating Operator Cheryl Sandberg said: ‘We’ll be adding thousands of employees in the next year’.

The social network recruitment drive has already begun. ‘They’re accepting applications now if any of you need a job,’ New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at the press conference.

Just 100 will be employed in the New York Office, compared with 3000 currently employed in the California office.

New York senator Chuck Schumer, who was also there to show the new engineering offices, greeted the major expansion plans warmly.

Facebook stated that they will be employing as many new ‘qualified candidates’ as possible, but have not revealed an exact figure.

‘New York is pleased to call Facebook a friend, so much to like about Facebook’ Schumer joked.

The expansion plans to New York, add to the growing trend for hi-tech companies setting up in the Big Apple. High-tech jobs have seen a major increase of 30 per cent in the city over the last 12 months.