Layoffs in the tech sector have been in the news for a while now with frequent media coverage of job losses in big name tech companies.
Until recently the tech industry has been seen as a vibrant, innovative, and thriving sector and a leading employer in Ireland so news of redundancies comes as a shock.
The National Redundancy Helpline is Ireland’s leading source of information, and advice on redundancy and brings you regular updates and news on redundancy.
Central Bank report
In 2022 and into 2023, numerous layoff announcements in the tech sector in Ireland meant that the Central Bank estimated that there were 2,300 job losses in the tech sector around this period.
The level of layoffs was so significant that a Central Bank published report expressed concern about the reliance of the Irish economy on a small number of companies.The report stated that “important risks to growth, employment and tax revenues” would arise should the downturn of the time continue.
Downturn
These job losses were variously blamed on overly optimistic growth forecasts following the pandemic, excessive hiring of staff, increased innovation in the sector leading to a more competitive business environment, and cost cutting due to falling share prices.
Following the pandemic and its associated acceleration of demand for the services of the tech giants, tech companies recruited heavily. As the anticipated continuous rise in demand did not materialise, redundancies followed.
Recent job cuts
Although the dramatic downturn in the fortunes of the tech sector may have stabilised somewhat, recent job loss announcements have led to concern that an uptick in layoffs may be imminent.
In early March 2025, TikTok announced 300 layoffs from their Irish operation where their Grand Canal offices house 3,000 workers. These job losses appear to be mostly of workers involved in content moderation.
The political climate in the US has been cited as the reason for the job losses and, indeed, the Irish tech sector seems to be firmly in the sights of President Trump in the US.
Irish tech sector
The birth of the Irish tech sector came in 1980 with the opening of Apple in Hollyhill in Cork. Historic incentives offered to, mostly, US companies to locate in Ireland have brought jobs to Ireland but more recent antitrust concerns, and increasing EU demands for oversight and regulation in content moderation and mediation may mean a downturn is looming.
Meta, X, Google, and Apple face fines and increased regulation following EU investigations into their content and operations. This follows Apple’s €14bn tax bill in a landmark EU case.was cited by President Trump in a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin as an example of the EU’s punitive attitude towards American companies which operate there.
Meta founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg has expressed their intention to lay off their fact checkers and resist EU “censorship”. Meta has recently announced an intention to cut 5% of their staff globally and it has been estimated that 100 jobs will be shed from their Irish operations which employ 2,000 people currently.
Rise of AI
Google has cited their intention to prioritise AI infrastructure development in their operations as a factor in their decision to downsize their HR and cloud units in the US. This follows the 2022 loss of 240 workers from Google’s Irish offices.
Chat GPT exploded in popularity following its launch in late 2022 and Google, Microsoft, and Meta have rushed to develop their own versions of the technology or to adopt the technology in their own platforms.
This may mean a restructuring of the operations of the main tech companies, and resulting redundancies.
How to prepare for redundancy
Whether you work in the Irish tech sector, or global uncertainty has meant that your job may be insecure, it is possible to prepare yourself for redundancy and insulate yourself should you be in this position.
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure that you will be in the best position should you lose your job for business reasons:
If you are facing a time of uncertainty, look at reducing your debts outgoings wherever possible to ensure that you are saving as much as you can.
Your redundancy package may not be generous, especially if you are relatively new in your employment, so try to build a safety net to fall back on.
Your employer must use a fair and objective way of selecting you for redundancy, you should be. You are entitled to between 1 and 8 weeks notice of redundancy, depending on your length of service, and if you have worked for your employer for more than 2 years, you will be entitled to statutory redundancy pay, calculated on your salary and length of service.
Unemployment benefits are paid by the Department of Social Protection and your entitlement to and rate of weekly Unemployment benefit will depend on your earnings, and your PRSI record. If you have dependents, then you may get an additional weekly payment for them also.
You should also consider refreshing your skills and qualifications to make yourself more attractive to prospective employers.
