500 jobs under threat at insurer Aviva
Aviva Ireland employs about 2,000 people here, with more than half of these in Dublin. It has smaller operations in Cork, Galway as well as branch offices around the country.
The company is “considering various options to ensure... sustainability and competitiveness in business”. No final decision has yet been made on the IT restructuring, but a final decision is likely next month.
However, the insurer is moving its holding company for its European headquarters from Dublin to London.
Three years ago Aviva Ireland, then Hibernian, announced it was to move more than 500 jobs from Ireland to Bangalore, India.
Aviva has more than 1.2 million customers in Ireland across the general insurance, life and pensions and health insurance markets.
While profits at its health division have been rising, sales in its life and pension division fell 17% last year.
In January, Aviva said it was increasing its health insurance premiums by 14% from March 1 following a similar move by VHI.
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said it has been “a tough fortnight”, with 575 jobs being lost at Talk Talk in Waterford and 425 jobs lost and at risk following announcements at two Dublin companies.
But he noted that IDA Ireland had signalled the number of companies coming to Ireland this year was up 25% while projected job losses within IDA-supported businesses were down 50%.
Last week it was revealed that up to 250 jobs could go in Dublin following the withdrawal of top online poker site Full Tilt from the US market.
Meanwhile, Allied Logistics, part of distribution and energy group DCC, plans to cut its workforce by 175 as a result of the loss of a contract with Dunnes Stores worth €100 million a year.
Pocket Kings, the Loughlinstown, Co Dublin, operation that provides marketing and technology backup for Full Tilt’s operations, said yesterday that the company’s departure from the US market meant it had to make savings of €12m.
The company said that if all savings were to be made through redundancy, then it could have to cut numbers by up to 250, but it would not be able to confirm the number until it completes a consultation with staff.
