Key jobs are being flown away as Google’s parent company has to lay off 12,000 employees worldwide while Irish employees await news

GOOGLE’s parent company Alphabet has announced plans to lay off 12,000 workers around the world in the latest blow to the tech sector.

Six percent of the workforce will be cut in the coming weeks, it was confirmed today.

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Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai claimed in an employee release that the company has rapidly increased headcount in recent years.

He said: “For a different economic reality than the one we are facing today.

“I take full responsibility for the decisions that brought us here.”

Google currently employs more than 5,000 Irish workers.

It is unclear how this announcement will affect Ireland.

Alphabet’s job cuts are affecting teams across the company, dramatically impacting recruiting, some corporate functions, and engineering and product teams.

The company has already emailed affected employees about the layoff, and the memo noted that it would take longer due to other countries’ employment rules and procedures.

The layoff news comes at a time of economic uncertainty and technological promise, as Google and Microsoft have invested in an emerging area of ​​software like generative AI.

META REDUCTIONS

Meanwhile, Google’s parent company isn’t the only one in the tech sector to announce layoffs, as Meta recently cut 11,000 jobs worldwide.

The 390 Irish staff were given 30 days’ notice, meaning they were officially laid off just two weeks before Christmas.

A Facebook spokesman told the Irish Sun that the cut would not affect the company’s future in Ireland or its long-term investment in its operations here.

Mark Zuckerberg described the layoffs as “the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history.”

He told staff: “I know this is difficult for everyone and I am particularly sorry for those affected.

The Meta company has been heavily focused on Mark Zuckerberg’s project called Metaverse as they poured millions into the project.

Elsewhere, Argos announced yesterday that it will close all of its Irish businesses – with 580 employees to be made redundant.

The retailer will start closing some of its stores in March, with the rest closing until June 24.

Staff were informed of the decision yesterday morning.

Customers will no longer be able to pay for orders through the Argos website or place orders through the home delivery service after March 22nd.

Orders placed up to this date will continue to be fulfilled and customers can continue to reserve products online and pay in-store until the store closes.