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Tech sector lay-offs keep coming

In Ireland, Google and Three have flagged job losses at their operations while there are concerns for jobs at Activision Blizzard after Microsoft said it would cut 1% of the games unit’s staff globally

Google HQ in Dublin. The global tech giant is trimming staff from its Irish operation this year. Photograph: Sam Boal/Rollingnew.ie

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Tue Jan 30 2024 - 05:12

Last year was not the best for tech industry employment here. As companies large and small were forced to adjust their staff numbers, according to a leaner economic scenario, the cuts came thick and fast.

The industry may have hoped that the widespread job losses were at an end, but January hasn’t given much reason for optimism on that score. The year was only getting going when Amazon told staff it would cut several hundred jobs in its streaming and studio operations, followed by cutbacks in its Buy with Prime and the Audible streaming business.

That was followed by several high-profile job losses in other tech companies. In recent days, Salesforce has announced that it would shed staff, and video platform TikTok is also cutting workers to reduce costs.

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Closer to home, there have been fears for jobs at Activision Blizzard after Microsoft said it would cut 1 per cent of the games unit’s staff globally. Google is also trimming yet more staff, cutting back its advertising team with a small number set to lose their jobs in Ireland, and jobs lost in its hardware division responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit. Mobile operator Three Ireland, meanwhile, is shedding 150 jobs here.

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These latest cuts weren’t completely unexpected. A survey from Manpower published in December last year found employers in Ireland’s tech sector anticipated further job losses in the first quarter of the year.

And there is still some reason for optimism. IBM, for example, may be cutting back on some jobs but it says it plans to hire for more AI roles. That same Manpower survey also found companies were still struggling to find candidates with the specialist technical skills they require.

So there may be some losses, but for the more specialised tech workers, the jobs will still be open.

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