PayPal to cut 27 jobs in Dundalk and close office in town

PayPal is cutting 27 jobs in Dundalk with the office in town shutting at the end of the month.

The company announced today that it's to cut 62 jobs at its operations in Dundalk and Blanchardstown.

There will be 35 layoffs in the Dublin office and 27 jobs are to be cut in Dundalk.

The remaining staff in PayPal in Dundalk will work remotely when the office closes on March 31st.

The closure of the Dundalk office will impact a small number of contract workers, who are employed by third parties to manage facilities on site, a PayPal spokesperson said.

The company is also selling its site in Ballycoolin in Dublin and will move to a smaller, more central location in Dublin.

Dundalk Sinn Féin TD Ruairi Ó Murchú said workers from certain sections at both of the multinational’s sites were emailed this morning asking them to attend an online meeting at 10am.

Deputy Ó Murchú said that he understands that 27 positions in European Customer Services are affected in Dundalk, representing 3% of the Dundalk workforce, while the 35 are affected at the Dublin site.

Workers at PayPal sites in Dundalk and Ballycoolin ‘need clarity as quickly as quickly as possible’ as to who will be affected by the 62 jobs cuts announced at both sites this morning, said Deputy Ó Murchú.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: “I have received a number of contacts from PayPal staff members today about a meeting that took place at 10am which some sections were invited to and some were not.

“At this meeting, which lasted a short time, staff were informed that there would be 27 positions affected in Dundalk, while around 35 would be lost at Ballycoolin.

“The company said they are starting the statutory 30-day staff consultation period from today. It is not known whether the redundancies will be voluntary or compulsory at this stage.

“PayPal has also told me that the Dundalk site is to close at the end of this month, with remaining staff working remotely and the Dublin site will be closed and staff here moved into a smaller site in the city.”

Deputy Ó Murchú continued: “My first thoughts are with the people who have been advised their jobs are under threat.

“The fact that the company announced global redundancies of 2,000 a month ago means that there has been a lot of stress for the entire workforce who had been waiting to hear what was happening.

“I have been in touch with the IDA, Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney, and, of course, with PayPal.

“While I welcome the commitment to Ireland that PayPal has given, it is imperative that everything is done to keep the jobs that remain.

“The government must ensure that there is a ‘skills audit’ carried out on those who are being made redundant to ensure that their transition into other suitable employment is as seamless as possible.

“In addition, the government needs to look at how 120 people who live in the North have been moved onto Northern employment contracts and how this will impact their social protection and State pension entitlements.”

At the end of January, PayPal announced that it intended to cut 2,000 jobs worldwide - 7% of its global workforce. 

The 62 redundancies announced today represent about 3% of PayPal's Irish workforce of around 2,100, a PayPal spokesperson said.

Commenting on the site changes in Dublin and Dundalk, Maeve Dorman, Senior Vice President at PayPal, said: “Ways of working at PayPal, as at many other companies, have completely transformed over the last three years.

“Employees, including myself, have really embraced the flexibility of our new working models and the increased opportunity to work from home.

“As a result, employee footfall at our offices at Dublin and Dundalk has remained consistently low. Nonetheless, we have maintained our strong community connections and supports in these regions – and will continue to do so.

“From the outset of this virtual working reality, our focus has been to ensure our employees remain connected and engaged in meaningful ways – and this will remain a priority for us as we move forward. Our goal will continue to be to create better, more collaborative, and relevant opportunities for our workforce.”