Uber sees “hurricane of growth” in buoyant Limerick economy
Quality employer: “When we do hire, we tend to hire for entry-level roles and then we invest a lot into developing that success and growth in the people we have,” says Eoin O'Sullivan of Uber Ireland.
The potential for investment and growth in Limerick will ensure a bright future for both the region and business in it, including Uber, according to the director of Uber’s centre of excellence in Ireland.
Established in 2009 in the United States, Uber provides taxi services via its Uber app, and food delivery services via its more recent venture, Uber Eats.
Uber now boasts operations in over 900 metropolitan areas worldwide, including a centre of excellence in Limerick set up in 2015 to cater for Uber’s customer service queries, from both Uber drivers and customers, from across Ireland, the United Kingdom and several countries in the Nordic region.
Limerick’s Uber centre went from a handful of staff to over 400 in a short space of time as demand skyrocketed.
Speaking to The Irish Examiner, Director of the Irish centre, Eoin O’Sullivan admitted the huge growth Uber experienced in Ireland was a surprise.
“When we started in Limerick, we thought it wouldn’t get any bigger than 100 people,” he said.
“Within the first month it became obvious that this wouldn’t be the case, it was going to be a lot bigger,” he added.
Uber took off in the US when it was first established back in 2009, and the same could be said for its services once they reached Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In the middle of that “hurricane of growth”, as Mr O’Sullivan described it, Uber branched out into UberEats, which is available in Ireland and supported by the Limerick centre.
“That just became another monster in terms of growth overnight,” Mr O’Sullivan added.
While the pandemic and subsequent closure of restaurants provided growth opportunities for UberEats, it had a negative impact on Uber’s lift providing service.
However, Uber has made a recovery in the Limerick region, hiring huge numbers of people over the past 10 months.
“We also felt the pandemic’s impact here in Limerick because we were up over 500 staff members before that,” said Mr O’Sullivan.
“Since the pandemic started to ease off, we started hiring again in January this year and we didn’t actually expect to be hiring again that early.
“In the last month alone, we had to hire around 30 people and we’ve been doing that almost every month since January.”
When asked why Uber picked Limerick to be its first base outside of the US, Mr O’Sullivan pointed to the Treaty County’s timezone and language as key factors, enabling staff to support regions across Europe and the US if necessary.
He also highlighted access to a large talent pool in the region.
“The number one reason they picked Limerick and Ireland was the availability of talent,” he said.
“Limerick has the likes of University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology which specialise in technology. That pipeline of talent was a big reason for Uber coming here.”
Uber also spotted a gap in the market in Limerick that they were keen to fill, Mr O’Sullivan explained.
“There’s a lot of big tech companies on the west coast from Apple and Amazon in Cork, EA Games in Galway but there was no big tech presence in Limerick at that time,” he said.
“We could have picked Dublin but then you’re competing with the likes of Google, eBay and more for talent.
“Limerick presented an opportunity for unlimited access to the talent here at the time,” he added.
While Limerick provided an opportunity and access to talent for Uber, the company itself gave the local economy and jobs market a boost, providing opportunities for career development in the region.
“We have got a lot of really talented people,” said Mr O’Sullivan. “We started in week one with a staff of around 20 people and most of those people have moved on into managerial roles in Uber.
“The amount of opportunities within Uber for people starting in entry-level roles has just grown and grown,” he added. “When you look at the career paths of the people here, it’s fantastic. In fact, all of our team leaders here have been hired internally after working their way up through the ranks in recent years.
“When we do hire, we tend to hire for entry-level roles and then we invest a lot into developing that success and growth in the people we have.”
As well as opportunities for career development here in Ireland, Uber offers people the chance to see the world with bases in the likes of Cairo, San Francisco, Mexico, Canada and more.
“It’s a great opportunity to work in a brilliant environment and see the world,” said Mr O’Sullivan. “You get to see the whole world when you’re working with Uber.”
Mr O’Sullivan said Limerick as a city and region is ripe for investment and growth, particularly for companies like Uber looking to set up bases in Ireland with access to large talent pools, and that this will create even more opportunities for staff in the region.
“There have been a few companies that have come in recent years, including the likes of Stats and Everise,” he explained. "It’s great to see companies like that coming to Limerick, which is a vibrant, growing city. People might think that it’s competition, and it is, but that’s great for progress and the local economy.
“For staff as well, it’s great for those who aren’t given the opportunity to progress in one company making their mark at another one because not everyone can be promoted to management as the roles aren’t all there,” he added.
Uber’s investment and growth in Limerick highlights the huge potential for companies basing themselves outside Dublin in cities like the Treaty County, Mr O’Sullivan explained.
“I think there’s potential for a lot more things to be based outside Dublin, whether that’s in Limerick, Cork, Galway or somewhere else.
“For large companies, coming to the likes of Limerick gives them the opportunity to settle in.
“Speaking from first-hand experience having worked in Dublin, it can be a bit of a merry-go-round in terms of staff turnover with the big guys all competing.
“I think the likes of Limerick, Cork and Galway have an advantage because there’s less competition really. There’s huge potential and room for growth in the region.”
