Sinn Féin spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Louise O’Reilly TD, has called for the government, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and the Local Enterprise Office network to engage with workers and businesses facing the impact of volatility in the tech sector.

Teachta O’Reilly said:

“Over the past number of days, there has been significant volatility in the tech sector and numerous reports of layoffs at some of the biggest tech companies globally.

“The fluctuating situation will be of monumental concern to workers in the tech sector and particularly to those workers in the companies who have indicated they will be reducing their workforces.

“Twitter and Stripe were the first big tech firms to announce layoffs and today Meta/Facebook have taken the decision to reduce their global workforce by 13 per cent.

“The move, which will see more than 11,000 workers lose their jobs, will inevitably have an impact on the companies’ operations in Ireland. If the 13 per cent figure cut is applied to Ireland, close to 400 jobs could be lost.

“As one of the most important technology centres in Europe, these reports are a worrying development for tech workers across the state.

“I am calling on the Tánaiste, as the Minister responsible, to engage with the affected companies and to do all he can to help save jobs.

“Furthermore, the government must work with IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to understand the skills profile of impacted staff and ensure that profiles are shared with client companies of all state agencies who may be hiring or looking for similar skills.

“I must add, it is not right for a worker to find out their job is at risk through the media, so I would urge all companies, but especially large technology companies, to engage directly with their staff in an employee-centred manner regarding developments because the recent public discussion concerning redundancies has been unfair and unacceptable.

“Finally, the volatility in the tech sector over the past number of days and weeks further reinforces the need for all workers to join, and be active, in their trade union. Workers need a strong voice in the workplace and the only way to achieve this is through trade unionism.”