Swedish telecoms equipment maker, Ericsson, which has a campus located in Athlone, has announced that it will cut up to 130 jobs across its Irish operation.
It is understood most of the job losses will be at the company’s Dublin operation and it is unclear as of yet if or how many jobs will be impacted in Athlone.
SIPTU, which represents employees at the firm, released a statement that said Ericsson is seeking to reduce its headcount via voluntary redundancies. The firm will also seek to redeploy staff across its Irish operation where possible.
Ericsson says the trimming of its staff is aimed at ensuring “a competitive business model aimed at securing long-term growth and linked to the technology needs” of its customers.
It added that it remains committed to research and development in Ireland, where it will continue to employ more than 1,200 people between its Athlone and Dublin campuses. Ericsson currently employs an Irish workforce of about 1,400 between both campuses.
These latest job cuts result from Ericsson recording a first quarter operating loss of more than €1 billion, with business being hit by shrinking markets and restructuring costs. Ireland is not the only base impacted, with Ericsson cutting thousands of jobs at its operations around the world.
Ericsson has been hit by a drop in spending by telecoms firms, with demand for next-generation 5G technology still years away, and weaker than expected growth from its emerging markets, such as Russia, China and Latin America.
