Workers facing Google lay-offs 'will not have a difficulty finding tech jobs' - Minister Coveney

Lay-offs by Google globally will have some impact in Ireland, Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney admitted, but he said the workers affected would have no difficulty finding new tech jobs. 

Minister Coveney spoke following a meeting with the Head of Google in Ireland, Adaire Fox-Martin on Tuesday evening.

Google's parent company Alphabet announced last week that it was cutting 6% of its global workforce., with 12,000 jobs expected to go. 

"Decisions have been made globally, in terms of reducing their cost base, in the context of huge growth last year, which will have some impact in Ireland. But let's wait and see over the next few weeks what the numbers will actually be," Minister Coveney told RTÉ News. 

"But I can assure you, that people who are working for Google today, who are impacted by this, will not have a difficulty in finding tech jobs in other areas of the economy, and we will work with them to make sure that happens," the minister added. 

Google's CEO confirmed that the company will lay-off 12,000 staff in an email sent to employees on Friday. 

Sundar Pichai said he had "some difficult news to share" as the company plans to shed 6 per cent of its global workforce. 

"We’ve decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles. We’ve already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.

"This will mean saying goodbye to some incredibly talented people we worked hard to hire and have loved working with. I’m deeply sorry for that. The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here," Mr Pichai said.