O’Reilly says Accenture lay-offs show “continuing volatility” in tech

Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly says the layoffs at tech company Accenture demonstrate “continuing volatility” in the technology sector.

O’Reilly, who serves as the party spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade, Employment, and Workers’ Rights, says the news that Accenture is due to cut 890 jobs from its Irish workforce, having already cut 400 jobs earlier this year, is “another crushing blow for workers, their families and communities.”

“This announcement comes despite Accenture stating that their Irish business continues to ‘show strong performance,” she noted.

“This is yet another concerning blow for tech workers in Ireland, and a worrying sign of continuing volatility in the sector.”

“It is essential that Accenture engage quickly and in good faith with the workers and their representatives regarding this announcement and fair redundancy package.”

“The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, must now 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 reemployed. We need to know the full picture.”

The latest round of lay-offs at Accenture marks nearly 1,300 redundancies at the firm over the last year.

O’Reilly pointed to the recent wave of lay-offs in the tech sector, which has seen Irish workers at the likes of Facebook, Google, Twitter, Revolut, and Microsoft suffering lay-offs, with the Central Bank noting that between February 2022 and February 2023, more than 2,300 jobs were lost in the tech sector.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Simon Coveney said that while the job losses are a “blow,” he said 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.”

“There are also a range of Government supports available to anyone who is being made redundant, including assisting with appropriate training and development opportunities and income supports,” he said.