Around 300 jobs under threat at TikTok’s Irish operation

TikTok could be set to cut around 300 jobs from its Irish operation.

The company currently employs more than 2,000 people in Ireland.

The proposed cuts are part of a reorganisation that will also involve the creation of new roles in Dublin and the redeployment of staff.

Overall however the restructuring is expected to lead to a reduction of around 300 in the company’s Irish headcount.

“We are exploring a reorganisation to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, including proposals to evolve the way we work to ensure teams remain scalable and agile, the creation of hundreds of new specialist roles here in Dublin and redeployment opportunities, and advancing platform safety through the latest technological innovations,” a TikTok spokesperson said.

TikTok said there is a collective consultation with staff and that it can not give precise figures in terms of job cuts at this stage.

The company added that the proposed restructuring would allow it to transition internal resources away from legacy frontline tasks and toward higher-skilled, judgement-based, and specialised positions.

The proposals include creating hundreds of new specialist Trust and Safety roles in Dublin which will involve significant redeployment of staff from other areas.

According to TikTok, the move is part of a wider reorganisation within the company that has also impacted some other markets.

IDA Ireland to work with employees affected by TikTok cuts

In relation to potential job losses at TikTok’s Irish operation, Michael Lohan, the IDA Ireland chief executive, said his organisation will work with “those people that are affected and we will also make sure to work with those clients”.

“We’ve been through this in Ireland through global restructuring on the technology side, particularly post Covid after the significant increase,” the IDA chief said.

“We see a lot of transition happening across the broad spectre of the industrial base but it’s probably being led out by technology in terms of AI and innovation,” Mr Lohan said.

“From an IDA perspective we continue to focus on where we can continue to bring value, how we help companies to pivot, and what the new opportunities are,” he stated.

“Because ultimately companies and sectors go through evolution and change and in Ireland I think we’ve been very successful in navigating those changes and that’s what we continue to focus on,” the IDA CEO added.

Job losses very concerning – Chambers

Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said it would be very concerning to see further job losses within the tech sector.

Speaking at Government Buildings, he said the respective enterprise agencies would engage with the employees within TikTok.

“It does show the uncertainty that our economy is facing in context of the disruptive effect of AI within the labour market in particular,” he said.

“And whilst we’re at full employment, and we’ve continued strong employment levels in the years to come, we need to be very careful of exposing ourselves to further expenditure lines and to protect our revenue base.

“That’s why I’m conscious of the risks that our country faces in the decisions and demands that we get everyday for more and why we have to be very careful in how we decide and frame Budget 2027,” he said.