Google to cut 240 Irish jobs as Taoiseach insists tech sector is still growing

The cuts in Google’s Irish operations were confirmed by a source familiar with the matter on Wednesday

Earlier this month, about 250 employees from Google in Zurich walked out to protest the layoffs. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he "wanted to sympathise" with the Google workers losing their jobs in Ireland but insisted the tech sector is still growing.

Google announced on Wednesday it will cut 240 jobs from its Irish workforce following earlier announcements from the company that it needed to slim down due to the volatile economic environment.

The cuts in Google’s Irish operations were confirmed by the company this morning.

Google directly employs around 5,000 people in Ireland. The cuts represent approximately 4% of the workforce here which is slightly smaller than the 6% cuts announced for its global operations.

Of the 240 jobs lost, 85 roles are expected to be cut in sales, 80 in tech and engineering, and 75 in support functions. Staff were informed about the details of the layoffs this morning.

Employment Minister Simon Coveney received a notification detailing the proposed collective redundancies from Google today, in accordance with the Protection of Employment Act 1977.

The collective consultation with staff is due to take place tomorrow. Details of the redundancies packages are due to be worked out with staff.

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Mr Varadkar said he wanted to wish the staff the best in negotiating a good redundancy and exit package.

"I am sure that will happen. I just want to say to them that the Government is here to help. Whether it is advice around job searches and other job opportunities, educational options and training options or help in setting up their own businesses, the Government is here to help. 

"That is what people pay their PRSI for, and they should not be afraid to seek the help of the Government in that regard," he said.

Mr Varadkar added the tech sector was seeing "a retrenchment of about 5% to 15%", which is "probably closer to 5% in most cases".

"This still means that there are more people employed in the tech sector now than there were two or three years ago. There are still a lot of tech companies that are hiring, so there are opportunities. I think we will see jobs growth again in the medium term. 

"The future is tech, the future is digital, the future is AI, it is robotics, it is virtual reality, VR, it is augmented reality, AR, and all of those things. There are going to be a lot of jobs in that sector. 

"I would encourage young people to take account of the news about job losses that we are hearing now but to be aware that it is still likely that there are going to be lots of jobs in this sector and to consider studying science, technology, engineering and maths," he said.

In January, Google parent Alphabet said it will cut about 12,000 jobs, more than 6% of its global workforce, becoming another tech giant to retrench after years of abundant growth and hiring.

Many tech multinationals have been forced to slim after hiring ballooned during the pandemic years as e-commerce became more popular. However, inflation and interest rate hikes by the ECB and the Federal Reserve have hit investor and consumer pockets leading to a global tech slowdown. 

Twitter, Stripe, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft have also announced cuts to their worldwide workforce.

Last November Twitter announced 140 layoffs from its Dublin offices while Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, cut 350 Irish-based jobs.

Earlier this month, Microsoft cut 120 Irish jobs.

Amazon and Stripe cut 18,000 and 11,000 people off from their global operations respectively. However, the full impact these would have on jobs in Ireland has not been confirmed.