Google job losses
Deputy Bacik raised Google’s announcement of 240 job losses in Ireland, especially affecting Dublin Bay South. The Taoiseach said the Government would support affected workers, ensure statutory rights, and seek an enhanced redundancy package if possible.
I want to raise the serious news that Google has announced that it plans to cut 240 from its Irish workforce. My thoughts today, like those of all of us, are with those individuals who are affected by this announcement and with their families. Of course, the job losses will impact those employed by Google within my own constituency of Dublin Bay South, in particular, where Google has a very significant presence. Indeed, it has a significant level of engagement with local communities in Ringsend, Irishtown and around Pearse Street and the south-east inner city. I acknowledge that staff have been informed and that Google has notified the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and public representatives in the area, including me. That is welcome, but it is of huge concern to see these announcements being made. We are conscious that it represents only 4.3% of Google's Irish workforce, so it is less than the 6% cut being applied globally by Google. That is one small positive. I wish the employee representatives well as they enter talks in the consultation period. What plans does Government have to reassure other employees in the tech sector who may also be facing this sort of announcement?
Comment on this
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, is engaging with the tech sector and, indeed, was on the west coast of the US only a week or two ago engaging at the highest level with those companies. I am very sorry to hear about the job losses in Google today. Obviously, my thoughts are with those affected and their families. The Government will make sure that everyone receives their statutory rights. We hope it will be possible, as it usually is in these circumstances, to negotiate an enhanced redundancy and exit package. That would be the norm for companies of this nature. We will make sure that people affected are fully aware of all the opportunities available to them, whether it is job search, education, training or help setting up their own business. All of those things will be put in place. While I would not diminish any job losses in any way, it does appear that the kind of retrenchment we are seeing in the tech sector is in the region of 5% to 10%. It still means many more people work in the tech sector today than did two or three years ago. In the medium term, we are still going to see the sector grow and hire again.