One of Ireland’s biggest employers plans to axe almost 900 jobs as redundancies in the technology sector continue to bite, even as the multinational group said its Irish business continues to perform strongly.
Multinational consultancy and outsourcing firm Accenture told staff on Monday that it is seeking 890 redundancies from its 6,500 workers based here.
The Irish-headquartered multinational – which ranks as one of the country’s biggest private sector employers – shed 400 jobs from its Irish operation over recent months. With these latest job losses, Accenture will have cut 20 per cent of its Irish business this year.
That makes Accenture’s the most dramatic in a sequence of announcements from companies across the tech sector over the past year that has seen industry giants like Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Stripe and Amazon reduce their workforces.
The job losses at Accenture bring to just under 2,300 the known redundancies in the Irish tech sector over the past eight months.
Accenture’s planned Irish job losses are out of proportion to the 2.5 per cent by which the multinational says it intends cutting its total workforce of 738,000. The company did not comment on the reason for this.
However, it is understood its Irish business is caught in the fallout from the crisis that struck many tech companies this year.
A high proportion of Accenture’s Irish staff work for technology companies, including social media giants such as Facebook owner Meta, and Twitter, recently re-named X, which have their European headquarters in Dublin.
Those employers have been cutting jobs in the Republic and around the world as their businesses face increasing pressure from new rivals, reduced demand and tougher regulation.
This year, Meta and Twitter have let 600 go from their Dublin offices between them. Google cut staff here by 240, while Microsoft reduced employee numbers by 180.
Confirming the plan, Accenture said it would begin consulting with workers on its latest proposed redundancies. “We do not plan to comment further while the consultation process is ongoing,” the firm added.
Leaving the Accenture offices across Dublin after the news broke, employees expressed worry regarding their certain futures. One employee, who did not wish to be named, said: “I don’t know if I’ve still got a job tomorrow - I’ll find out tomorrow morning I suppose.”
“I heard the news the same time as everyone else did,” said another employee, gesturing at a collection of media setting up cameras outside the Grand Canal Dock-based office. A number of staff said they had been told not to speak to media as they left the office.
Simon Coveney, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said State agencies would work with the affected staff and Accenture to assess if there were openings elsewhere for them.
“It is important to note that the workers involved are from a highly skilled sector and are likely to be sought after elsewhere in the broader economy,” Mr Coveney said.
Ged Nash, the Labour Party’s enterprise spokesman, warned that large multinationals often treated the legal requirement to consult with workers on redundancies as a box-ticking exercise. “It should be nothing of the sort, and I’m calling on Accenture to share complete information with staff and their representatives,” he said.
Mr Nash stressed that the firm should ensure that the month-long consultation considered all alternatives to the proposed level of job losses.
Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan, whose Dublin constituency is home to one of Accenture’s offices here, said the announcement was disappointing for staff. “This significant loss of jobs is also surprising considering that its Irish business continues to perform strongly,” he argued.
Louise O’Reilly, Sinn Féin’s enterprise and employment spokeswoman, branded the move a “blow” for tech workers in Ireland. “It is essential that Accenture engage quickly and in good faith with the workers and their representatives regarding this announcement and fair redundancy package,” she added.
She argued the minister should “take stock of the breadth and scale of job losses across the sector, and investigate how many of those who have lost their jobs are being re-employed”.
Mr Coveney noted that the Government offered aid to workers who have lost their jobs, including training, development and income support.
Accenture sells its services across private and public organisations. It has worked for the State, airline Ryanair and AIB among others.
The firm said on Monday that its Irish business continued to perform strongly and that it continued to recruit in critical skills areas. “We remain firmly committed to our business in Ireland and will continue managing for the long-term,” Accenture added.
The company plans to lay off around 19,000 people globally this year.
Accenture occupies several office buildings in Dublin, notably in the Grand Canal area in the docklands – where its main business is located at 1 Grand Canal Square – and in Cherrywood in south Dublin, where it has expanded its footprint in recent years.
Like the tech companies to which it supplies outsourced workers, Accenture had been on a hiring spree, buoyed by a surge in demand from tech clients since the pandemic. It has also made multiple acquisitions since 2020.
