
Microsoft to axe 9,000 jobs worldwide as company's 4,000 Irish staff wait for details
Microsoft employs around 4,000 people in Ireland, with a further 2,000 people employed at its subsidiary, Linkedin, which has a base in Dublin.
Under Irish law, Microsoft is required to notify the government of any significant job-cutting plans.
The tech giant has said that the layoffs are part of a restructuring effort for what it describes as 'organisational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace'.
The Irish Independent has contacted Microsoft for comment.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently disclosed that up to a third of programming at the tech company is now done by AI, with a higher percentage likely.
However, the current cuts are thought to be aimed across several job categories, including sales and middle-management.
The news comes just days after Intel said that it plans to cut up to 195 jobs from its 4,900-staff Kildare plant.
The proposed cuts, details of which have been notified to the government as required under Irish law, would represent 4pc of the facility's workforce, a figure far short of the 20pc floated in a report by Bloomberg earlier this year.
No information of staff positions or titles potentially affected have yet been disclosed. Details of financial compensation packages have also not been disclosed.
However, the cuts are not expected to take effect before September, following an industrial relations process.
The company has previously said that cuts would involve "streamlining the organisation, eliminating management layers', with no further detail on the sectors to be targeted, other than that it intended to shrink expenses in 'R&D, marketing, general and administrative' divisions.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Tánaiste in Germany to discuss EU-US trade deal
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris is in Berlin to meet with his new German counterpart Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul. Their discussions will focus on the efforts to secure an EU-US Trade Deal, the current situation in the Middle East, Ukraine, defence and security, as well as European competitiveness and the next EU budget. They will also discuss the positive trajectory in Irish-German relations, which intensified significantly under the Global Ireland programme, including through the opening of Irish consulates in Frankfurt in 2019 and Munich in 2024, and through the development of the Ireland-Germany Joint Plan of Action, now in its third iteration. Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Harris said: "I look forward to visiting Germany and holding my first official meeting with Minister Wadephul. "Germany is a vital bilateral partner for Ireland at the political level as well as a key economic counterpart, being Ireland's second largest source of foreign direct investment and third largest trading partner. "I will be interested to hear Minister Wadephul's perspective on key issues on the EU and international agenda, particularly the efforts to secure an EU-US Trade deal ahead of Wednesday's deadline. "We will also discuss security and defence, the Middle East, Ukraine, and EU enlargement and reform. I will also set out Ireland's priorities in these areas." The Tánaiste will visit the Siemens Energy Innovation Centre, saying: "Siemens Energy has played a key role in major strategic infrastructure projects in Ireland, including Moneypoint, the Celtic Interconnector and the Greenlink Interconnector. "I am looking forward to this visit on the centenary of the inception of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme, which had a transformative impact on the modernisation of Ireland, as well as on Irish-German bilateral relations." The Tánaiste will also have a working lunch with Leader of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Party Jens Spahn, in the Bundestag. He said: "The meeting with Jens Spahn will be an opportune moment to hear directly about key issues on the minds of German parliamentarians." The Tánaiste will also give remarks and meet with members of the Irish community in Berlin at a reception at the ambassador's residence. He said: "I am looking forward to meeting with members of the Irish community in Berlin. Berlin is home to an active and vibrant Irish diaspora, including a thriving GAA club scene, a young professionals network, as well as artists who played a pivotal role in the Zeitgeist Irland 24 project."


Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
In the salerooms: Collectors cash in with rare banknotes, work by key Irish artists and a 5kg silver bar
When is a £50 worth more than £100? When it's a Lady Lavery banknote. An Irish £50 bearing the portrait of Lady Lavery sold for £14,000/€16,360 at Noonans Mayfair on June 25. 'This Irish Free State £50 note is considerably rarer than the £100,' Andrew Pattison of Noonans commented. In the same sale, a proof £100 note from the Central Bank of Ireland (1979-80), showing an imagined portrait of Grace O'Malley complete with pirate ships, sold for £3,000/€3,500. The proof was never put into production. 'No final proofs or specimens showing the obverse have ever come to auction before,' Pattison explained. Adams Blackrock With an exhibition of their work still on show at the National Gallery of Ireland, paintings by Mainie Jellet and Evie Hone continue to sell well at auction. On June 18, Cubist Composition by Mainie Jellett sold for €8,571 at Adam's Blackrock, while The Artist's Garden by Evie Hone fetched €2,857. Flowers by a Window, also by Hone, sold for €833. See Matthews A two-day sale of Jewellery & Silver at Matthews Auction Rooms in Kells, Co Meath, includes one 5kg silver bar (est €4,000 to €7,000) and 22 tubes of Canadian Maple Leaf pure silver coins (each est €700 to €1,200). ADVERTISEMENT With wars and unrest increasingly threatening the world economy, many investors are turning to gold and indeed silver to hedge against all eventualities. 'This is a good opportunity for anyone who wishes to invest in the continuing upward values of this precious metal,' Damien Matthews says. The sale takes place on Sunday, July 6, from 5.30pm and Monday, July 7, at 12pm. See

Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Summer in Dublin Airport: where to eat, what's new and how much it will cost
Schools are out and minds are turning to sunnier climes, with Dublin Airport , and its many food offerings, certain to feature in many Irish holidaymakers' travel plans. But what can you expect to eat in those potentially stressful hours between arriving at the airport and boarding your flight? We've done the research so you don't have to. After three openings over the coming weeks, Dublin Airport will be home to 47 food and beverage spots between its two terminals and landside (the bit between the entrance and security gates). This is up from 40 in 2019, with the various offerings run by six operators, often with multiple brands of varying cuisines and prices, employing 1,100. Between the two terminals, there are 4,200 food and beverage seats. Many casual dishes at the airport are priced at around €17, with children's meals available for about €7 or €8 (we've rounded up any 95-cent prices.) On a walk through the terminals, Dublin Airport's head of food and beverage, Aileen Dautry, and head of commercial B2B, Sorcha Nic Eoin, say they monitor quality across operators and are adamant that premium pricing is not allowed. Food operators winning a lucrative airport contract are benchmarked, they say, for menus and pricing, against comparable outlets in the world outside. READ MORE But bear in mind that, rather than being compared to the better value and cuisines of almost anywhere you might be flying to, they're benchmarked against hospitality in Ireland. Airside, food and drink outlets are open from 4am (peak time) until the last flight, and there's landside 24-hour service. Many outlets have QR codes for ordering from the table you've nabbed, or self-service kiosks for on-screen ordering, as well as counter service in-person. Some have digital displays indicating how long for food to arrive. Landside We had a nice coffee at Cloudpicker, and later, from the Roasted Notes hatch, both in Terminal 2 (T2). Through the night landside, there's food from Wright's deli near the bus station or Bewley's in Supermac's. Supermac's and Papa Johns in Terminal 2. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw We had a nice coffee at Cloudpicker, T2. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Supermac's fast food is on one side of the T2 escalator, including Papa John's pizza, Super Subs, ice cream and Bewley's. On the other side is recently opened Fitzgerald's bar and restaurant, nicely appointed for a drink and a steak sandwich in an airy, relaxed setting. It offers 'contemporary local food', gourmet sandwiches and breakfast, with Loughnane's sausages, rashers and pudding. The recently opened Fitzgeralds bar and restaurant. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Terminal 1 Food service here is on two levels, with a concourse downstairs and at the junction which splits into various directions for boarding gates. At the top of the escalator are Burger King and The Garden Terrace, a bar/restaurant attracting a younger crowd. It now has a breakfast bar hatch, and it's also got the only outdoor smoking terrace in the airport. The Garden Terrace, a bar/restaurant in T1 that has Dublin Airport's only outdoor smoking terrace. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Most T1 food is downstairs, and the hoardings are about to come down on another two outlets. San Marco, an Italian-style restaurant, with table service and using local, seasonal produce, will be suitable for family dining. Operator Kylemore's Dave Murray is finalising the menu of pizza, pasta and breakfast, and also the menu for the new Street Kitchen, with Mexican street food and a Cantina tequila bar serving Margaritas. It will have counter service and a self-service kiosk for orders. This will be across from the two new places Kylemore has already opened, Kimbok (Korean Fried Chicken) and Boxx (sushi, Thai, Asian), and Murray takes us into the shared kitchen for a look. They brine the buttermilk chicken here and cook it crispy Korean style, and he sources vegetables locally – from as nearby as St Margaret's Road. They also do tofu versions. Kimbok chicken burger, T1. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Dave Murray of Kylemore in the Kimbok and Boxx shared kitchen, T1. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Kimbok and Boxx Korean chicken and sushi. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Green curry bowl, Kimbok, T1. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw He assembles a few dishes on the spot: Korean fried chicken burger (€14) with gochujang sauce and kimchi slaw is very tasty; Korean fried chicken nugs and fries (€14.50) is his take on nuggets and chips, in a takeaway box with toppings including kimchi, wasabi sesame seeds, pickled cucumber, fermented red onion. Kimbok fries are €4.50, loaded fries (with kimchi seasoning, cheese sauce and crispy bacon bits) €7. Murray also puts together a generous Thai green curry bowl (€16.50) served at Asian-inspired Boxx, with pickled cucumber and carrots, spinach, peppers, sugar snaps, crispy onions; 'it eats very well', he says, and it does. Boxx also does other bowls – tofu or crispy chicken, sweet soy and chilli, peanut satay (all €16.50) and a spice box (€13). Starbucks is no longer a feature of T1 departures, replaced by Bluebird last July, but is still in Terminal 2. An expanded Butlers, which reopened in July 2024, is still hugely popular, so there are queues, but we're told they move quickly, and self-service kiosk orders are quick. Prices and standards are the same as in the chain's outlets elsewhere. For breakfast, it has pastries, yoghurts, granola, porridge, muffins and sandwiches that can be toasted, as well as juices and smoothies. Butlers Chocolate Café. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw I only spot a couple of combo sandwich-crisps-drink meal-deals. Boots (and its meal-deal) has closed in the airport, but WH Smith has a meal-deal for €9. For reference, a meal deal in a supermarket outside the airport can be bought for €6. Across from it, Marquette's meal deal at €13 is made on-premises and has an extra item: sandwich/wrap/bloomer, plus crisps, a piece of fruit and 500ml drink. Marquette, Wright Group's long established and busy food hall at the airport, has introduced some innovations, including whipped ice-cream, served in plastic tubs, for €3.50. [ Irish people more concerned about cost of food than counterparts Opens in new window ] Also new to Marquette, says general manager Gerry Cregan, are pizzas from a hot-cabinet; the restaurant sells an individual large rectangular slice with a side-salad or chips in a mini-pizza box for €13.50. Executive chef Teo Mancas behind the counter offers a sample, which is okay-ish, and some nice crispy chicken (a popular item) with chipotle mayo. The Wright's smoked salmon is lovely, as you'd expect, on excellent, rich brown bread baked on the premises (€10.50 for a slice of bread and portion of smoked salmon). Last renovated in 2016, Marquette is on track to be renewed again before summer 2027. Marquette is popular for breakfasts. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw As the first place you come to selling breakfasts, Marquette has a lot of throughput. It sells sausages, eggs, hash browns, beans etc by the individual item (the price will mount up) or by the plate; breakfast is €16 and a smaller version is €13. Other breakfast styles are offered too. Some of Marquette's pizza slices will be available, along with Italian beers, ice-cream, coffees and focaccias, at a new Italian-syle grab-and-go called Cibo's later in July, near the very busy Pier 1/100-gates (from where many Ryanair flights depart). Existing quick options there including Jump Juice, Tap and Brew and Nineteen40. [ Leaving Cert party on Zante: 'If I had children, I wouldn't want them to go on a holiday like this' Opens in new window ] Back with breakfast, Nomad has porridge with a range of toppings in the morning around the €8 mark. There's a new Arthur Guinness Bar that serves some food too. Pret-a-Mangeris a new airport addition, with fridge displays of grab-and-go snacks: sandwiches, fruit tubs, salads and smoothies. In its small, bright seating area there are some quiet spots. Top tip: It's not visible from the T1 concourse, but behind Bluebird Coffee Roasters and Marquette, there is very large open area with 136 seats, including tables and counters. Terminal 2 It's another country over in Terminal 2. The set-up is more open, airier and less crowded – as you'd expect for the newer terminal. The main departures lounge has a high ceiling with a substantial balcony that houses The Mezz casual dining and lots of seating. In the main departures lounge downstairs there's newly opened Fruitality with a range of juices, smoothies, takeaway sandwiches and pastries. Strawberry Kiss is the most popular smoothie, and is nicely made, as is an acai bowl (two sizes, €10.50 or €12.50). Beside it, the hoardings will come down soon on The Reserve when it opens in the centre of T2 departures, serving open sandwiches, salads, grazing platters, filled croissants, scrambled eggs with sourdough, and drinks including wine, cocktails and draught beers. The Fallow kitchen and bar, T2. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw The Fallow is comfortable and calm. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw To the side is The Fallow kitchen and bar, run by Select Service Partner (SSP). You can order at the long bar here, or via QR code when you grab a table in the large and pleasant area alongside the window, with banquettes and bar seating. It's comfortable and calm. Its all-day menu includes variations on burgers with fries (€19.50 to €24.25), fish and chips (€21), chicken katsu (€18), mac and cheese (€17.25), Sausage and Mash (€17.25), and seasonal specials (such ashoumous and spiced cauliflower salad bowl for €19 or chicken shawarma flatbread for €20). Fries are €6.25 to €6.95. Bar bites (sausage roll, chicken tenders, halloumi fries) are €9 each, or three for €20. For breakfast, a full-Irish is €18 including toast, with a smaller version available for €16, and there's a good selection of other options such as avocado, bacon and eggs for €13.75. There are also breakfast bowls (just under €10), and various pancake stacks (€10.25-€11.25). A glass of prosecco is €10.50; a Bloody Mary, mimosa or espresso martini is €13. [ Ireland's niche tour guides: Holidays for foodies, newlyweds and baby-boomers Opens in new window ] SSP's head of culinary Steve Land shows us around The Mezz upstairs, a spacious food hall looking down on to T2's main departures lounge. This involves five offerings from one central kitchen. The brands are Camile Thai, Handsome Burger, Ancho Hancho (Mexican), all-day breakfast from Erin's Kitchen, and a new cuisine for the airport, Taste of India. Steve Land, head of culinary at SSP, in The Mezz food hall. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw The Mezz is a spacious food hall looking down on to T2's main departures lounge. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw You can order on screen from a line of digital kiosks, adding items from any of these outlets in one transaction, which sounds handy for a group with disparate tastes, and pick up at the hatch. The biggest dining area in Terminal 2, it's hectic here in the mornings until 8am, for the first wave of flights; Handsome burger sold 31,000 burgers in three months at the peak of 2024. You can order on screen from any of the outlets in one transaction and pick up at the hatch. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw Dining at The Mezz, T2. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw The Mezz offers a range of breakfasts, from mango smoothies (€4.25) or various breakfast bowls from Camile (€8.75 to €9.50), to filled muffins (€9.50-€10) from Handsome Burger. At the Mexican, breakfast burritos or Mexican eggs are €11.450-€12. Erin's Kitchen's full-Irish is €14.50, a veggie is €13.50, and various breakfast rolls are €8.50 to €10. The day menu kicks in here from 11am. Handsome serves a range of its burgers, including fries, from €15.50 to 17.50. Parmesan bacon fries are €9.25. A selection of Camile dishes from its standard menu (mostly similar prices to non-airport outlets): Crispy chilli chicken stir-fry; various curries, pad Thai (all €16.50), buddha bowl (€13) and some sides including duck spring roll €3. Mexican street food includes a selection of burritos and rice bowls (€12.50 to €15.50). A Taste of India has three mains: Chicken tikka masala, butter chicken curry and a jalfrezi with sweet potato, spinach and chickpea (€15.50-€16). Bhajis and pakoras are €7.50-8.50. Children's options Children's options figure in both terminals, including at Kimbok and Boxx, Marqette, The Mezz, The Fallow, three Burger Kings, The Garden Terrace, Pret a Manger and Dubh. The T1 Italian opening soon, San Marco, will have a children's menu. The Fallow children's menu, for example, offers breakfast or brunch for €8.25 to €10, and an all-day menu including mini-beef mini burger and fries, chicken katsu curry, Italian ragu, (€8.25 to €9.25). Drinks are extra (juice €4, water €3.05, milk €1.60).