About 350 Ireland-based Meta jobs are at risk

Hundreds of jobs at Meta’s Irish operation are at risk, in the latest blow to the tech sector as the Facebook parent presses ahead with a sweeping global restructuring.

The company employs about 1,800 people in Ireland.

Meta began informing staff today about how they may be affected by plans to cut 8,000 jobs worldwide, equivalent to roughly 10% of its workforce.

Employees based in Ireland received emails early this morning telling them whether they could be among those impacted by the proposed redundancies.

Meta has not publicly detailed what the reductions will mean for its Irish business, but sources said any redundancy process and timeline here will be governed by Irish law and Government guidelines, with the company expected to meet all legal obligations.

The planned cuts first came to light last month after management circulated a memo to staff, which also said Meta would stop filling thousands of vacancies it had previously been recruiting for.

Reuters reported that today’s layoffs will come alongside another round of organisational changes designed to sharpen the company’s AI workflows.

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In a memo sent to employees earlier this week, Meta Chief People Officer Janelle Gale said the company intends to redeploy 7,000 workers into new projects tied to AI workflows while also removing management positions.

The latest cuts come as Meta ramps up its investment in artificial intelligence.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has already said that 2026 would be the year AI begins to dramatically reshape how the company operates, with spending on AI tools helping to “flatten teams”.

“We’re starting to see projects that used to require big teams now be accomplished by a single very talented person,” Mr Zuckerberg said in January.

In March, it emerged that 15 roles at Meta’s Irish operation were under threat in a move linked to the adoption of AI.

Staff in Ireland were also caught up in a redundancy programme announced in January last year, when Meta said it would cut around 5% of its “lowest performing” employees globally.

The company had previously shed about 840 jobs in Ireland through redundancy rounds in November 2022 and again in May 2023.

‘Govt will have your back’ – Burke

Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said the Government would stand behind affected Meta workers.

“My message is very clear to employees in Meta, first of all the Government will have your back. We will support you to gain employment again,” he said.

“We have a very vibrant employment market right now, about 2.83 million people employed and particularly in the skill sets that many have in Meta and the IT sector, there is a huge demand in the wider economy the for those skills.

“Any additional training that is needed will be given by the Government.

Watch: Peter Burke says Govt will have the backs of Meta employees

“I acknowledge that it is very distressing when you have an uncertain future, when you get news of this magnitude but the government will work with you to support you and to grow your career path.

“Any support that families who are getting this news will need will be given by the government right across skills and supports which will be critically important.

“IDA Ireland are engaging very closely with Meta over the coming hours and days to ensure that we still remain in a good position in terms of job numbers and it is key that a lot of the engineering function and AI capacity will continue to be built in Ireland,” the minister added.

Labour call for strategy to protect jobs

Labour enterprise spokesperson George Lawlor urged Mr Burke and Minister of State Niamh Smyth to draw up a strategy to protect technology jobs as redundancies continue to spread across the sector.

“This is a deeply worrying and stressful time for anyone employed by Meta and I firstly want to express my solidarity with those people working there, their families and their communities,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Minister Burke must work with Meta to ensure fairness is applied and to protect jobs and livelihoods where possible. We need to see a comprehensive plan in place for the State to help secure jobs and protect worker’s incomes in the event their employer and sector faces a downturn or a change in business model.

“It is not just workers who are directly employed by these companies which are affected either. The cumulative effect of these cuts are devastating for families and for people who are indirectly employed by the tech industry are too.

“Combined with spiralling food, fuel, energy, and housing prices, and the shameful rental changes that are increasing rents and driving evictions, this is a very worrying time for working people in the sector, and indeed across the country,” he added.

The Financial Services Union (FSU), which represents workers in the tech sector, said the situation was reaching a dangerous point, with regulation of AI lagging behind its rollout.

“Full and transparent stakeholder involvement is required from unions to employers and regulators to legislators to manage the change that AI will make to the workplace and to jobs,” an FSU spokesperson said.

“Without that collaboration we will continue to see announcements of job losses like we have seen today,” the union added.

The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) said it had seen membership rise among Meta employees following today’s announcement.

“We have warned the Government of the far-reaching consequences of AI on jobs and job security,” said CWU General Secretary Seán McDonagh.

“They told us they were monitoring the situation. The time for monitoring is over. The time for action is now,” Mr McDonagh said.