Impact on Irish workforce unknown as Meta job losses expected

Impact on Irish workforce unknown as Meta job losses expected
Updated / Wednesday, 9 Nov 2022 07:04
Around 3,000 people are directly employed by Meta in Ireland
Around 3,000 people are directly employed by Meta in Ireland
By Brian O’Donovan
Work & Technology Correspondent

Facebook parent company Meta will begin laying off employees today, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

It is not yet known how the company’s Irish workforce will be impacted.

Around 3,000 people are directly employed by Meta in Ireland and an additional 6,000 people support its operations across multiple sites including the company’s International Headquarters, Clonee Data Centre in Meath and Reality Lab in Cork.

The company employs around 87,000 people globally.

According to the Wall Street Journal, an internal announcement of Meta’s layoff plans is expected around 11am Irish time and the specific employees losing their jobs will be informed over the course of the morning,

Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was said to be downcast at a meeting of executives last night and said he was accountable for the company’s missteps and his over-optimism about growth had led to overstaffing.

He described broad cuts and specifically mentioned the recruiting and business teams as among those facing layoffs, the report said.

Meta’s head of human resources Lori Goler said employees who lose their jobs will be provided with at least four months’ salary as severance, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company declined to comment on the report.