LinkedIn to scale back office plans in Dublin as hybrid working takes off

LinkedIn has confirmed it is scaling back plans to expand its Dublin offices, as remote working reduces demand for space.

The company had planned to open a European headquarters campus at Wilton Park, confirming in January 2020 it had signed a long-term lease with property company Iput for almost 40,000sq m of office space at the Dublin 2 scheme.

That included Two and Three Wilton Park, which are located immediately beside LinkedIn’s existing European headquarter offices at Wilton Place, along with Four Wilton Park. The expansion would have given the company the capacity to grow its Dublin-based workforce, then at 1,200, by more than 4,000 workers in the medium- to long-term. The buildings are due to be completed in 18 months.

However, with the pandemic causing a shift to remote work, the company has decided it no longer needs as much space. It will still move into One Wilton Park, a 14,000sq m building that was fully let to LinkedIn in 2018, but plans to expand beyond that have been curtailed.

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“We’re excited to open the doors of our new One Wilton building. In this new space we’ll continue to create amazing office experiences that welcome in employees, create new connections and build a sense of community. The first group of our Dublin employees will move in the week of November 7th,” LinkedIn said in a statement.

“With our shift to hybrid, more of our team in Ireland are working from home on some days and from the office on others, so we’ve also made the decision to not occupy Two and Three Wilton when construction finishes.”

LinkedIn and owner Microsoft are understood to have a 25-year lease with 12 years certain. While LinkedIn had no comment on the matter, market sources indicated the US firm would likely now seek a firm to sublet the space to.

Although LinkedIn has not commented on future plans, it is understood the company will still occupy Four Wilton Park when it is completed, estimated to be 2025.

The Wilton Park estate comprises the former Fitzwilton House, Wilton Park House, Gardner House, Lad Lane Apartments and their associated public spaces, and includes a one-acre park on the banks of the Grand Canal.

There are not expected to be any jobs in danger at LinkedIn as a result of the scaling back, and the company is still recruiting. The firm currently employs more than 2,000 people in Ireland and confirmed it was still expanding its workforce here.

[ TikTok opts out of planned Dublin docklands office deal ]

The professional networking company is not the only one putting the brakes on plans for office expansion. Facebook owner Meta has also paused part of its campus development in Ballsbridge, specifically the fit-out of its Fibonacci Square building as the pandemic pushed staff to a more flexible work environment. It also announced a global hiring freeze for most roles across the company as the social media group battles an advertising slump and rising competition.

TikTok also pulled out of negotiations for more than 16,443sq m of space at the Marlet Property Group’s Shipping Office development on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, before signing a deal on a nearby property. The company will lease the Tropical Fruit Warehouse, which is just under 8,000sq m of space over six storeys.