Fears for jobs at Uber's centre of excellence in Limerick
Company planning to shed 10% of roles worldwide
STAFF at Uber in Limerick are bracing themselves for job losses after the firm announced plans to lay off 3,300 staff worldwide.
The ride-hailing taxi app has around 400 staff on its books in Limerick, with staff here providing customer, driver, safety, regulatory and operational support for the company's international operations.
They are located at 47 Thomas Street in the city centre, close to the junction with Catherine Street.
Uber says the job cuts – which equate to 10% of its global workforce – will help better navigate the rise of robotic taxis, which it says are encroaching on its lift-hailing business.
The tech giant has offices across the world, and it’s not clear which staff will be impacted most by any job cuts.
The company had not returned a request for comment from the Limerick Leader this Tuesday.
"A leaner organisation will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating. It will also generate savings that we intend to reinvest in growth, innovation, and the capabilities that will matter most over the coming years," Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said in an update.
He outlined plans by the firm to plough more than $10 billion into robotaxis in the coming years, backing the companies developing autonomous-driving systems and positioning itself as a go-to marketplace for the driverless rides.
The layoffs, first reported by Bloomberg News, are Uber's largest since May 2020, when a pandemic-driven demand collapse forced it to shed 6,700 jobs, or nearly a quarter of its staff.
Uber had about 34,000 employees globally at the end of last year, according to its annual report.
It opened its office in Limerick in early 2016, at the Thomas Street centre, in a move which saw the creation of 150 initial jobs, a figure which grew to 300 and then increased to the current 400.