Around 100 Irish jobs to be cut as US health tech firm Merative announces redundancies 

The layoffs come as part of cost reduction plans across Ireland as the firm grows its operations in India 

The company's Irish arm has informed the Department of Enterprise and Minister Simon Coveney of its plans for collective redundancy Photo: Damien Storan

Healthcare technology firm, Merative has announced around 100 Irish job cuts across its operations as part of ongoing cost reduction efforts in Ireland.

Employing around 400 people, the cuts to its Irish arm will impact around 25% of its current employees. 

Last month, around 250 staff members were issued emails by the company informing them that their job was at risk. So far, it is understood that Merative has not confirmed which roles will be cut, with that decision expected by mid-October.

Founded in 2022, the company - formerly known as the IBM-owned Watson Health - was bought by US private equity firm, Francisco Partners, with Merative's headquarters based in the US state of Michigan. 

Based in Dublin city centre, the company's Irish arm has informed the Department of Enterprise and Minister Simon Coveney of its plans for collective redundancy, with a letter seen by the Irish Examiner to the Enterprise Department confirming that the majority of impacted roles are within its Technology organisation, affecting around 78 staff members, with the remaining cuts affecting areas including sales, design, products and communications.

In a letter sent to at-risk employees last month, Merative said cost reduction plans across its Irish businesses were "one of many difficult but necessary steps... to ensure the long-term health of our business for our clients and the people they serve."

The company specialises in data, analytics and technology within the health industry, with clients spanning across governments, life sciences and healthcare providers. Within the company are several solution areas, referred to as the "Big Six," which include Irish-founded Cúram, Marketscan, Health Insights, Merge, Zelta, and Micromedex.

Merative has now entered a 30-day consultation period with employee representatives which is expected to last until the end of September.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, one at-risk employee said the company has denied a request from representatives for voluntary redundancies, with some employees within the company for over 20 years now facing job losses.

In recent months, Merative has opened a number of centres in India, with a recent post by the company saying it "looks forward" to growing its Indian teams with new talent.

“While India teammates have always been a vital part of Merative, this transition unites and strengthens our global team, making Merative complete," CEO, Gerry McCarthy said in a recent statement, with many employees now believing their jobs will be moved to Merative's growing Indian operations. 

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for Merative Ireland said it "has and will continue to adapt our organization to align with our strategic plan for long-term growth." 

"As required by law, we have begun the consultation process to consider a proposed redundancy action in Ireland. To respect the integrity of the consultation process, that is all the information we can share at this time."

When asked if it had denied employees voluntary redundancies, the company said it does not discuss "rumours," and that it was instead "focused on investing in our six core product lines and aligning our organization with our strategic plan for long-term growth."