Concerns over job losses in TikTok show why the Government should focus on investing in local Irish companies, the Labour Party has said. 

The party made the call as reports emerged last night of job losses at the social media giant's Irish headquarters.

It is the latest in a long line of big tech companies restructuring their operations in Dublin, with Meta and Google announcing similar plans this year.

“I will be encouraging the Minister to have an absolute focus on Irish indigenous companies and helping them build and put a strength in place to ensure that the likes of these job losses by our national based companies,” he said. 

A finger pressing the TikTok app icon on a mobile phone. Image: Geoff Smith / Alamy

Last month, the Chinese company announced a restructuring plan that would impact its workers here and worldwide.

Up to 300 job losses are expected and Deputy Lawlor described it as part of a worrying trend which needs to be addressed. 

“We’ve already seen this approach taken by tech companies in Ireland,” he said. 

“We’ve seen it at Google, Meta, Amazon, Intel and Microsoft and today, we add TikTok to the list. 

“There appears to be a clear degree of uncertainty and some chaos in Ireland in the sector and it’s causing immense uncertainty for the thousands of people who rely on this industry for a living.” 

In 2024, an estimated 124,000 employees worldwide were laid off by tech companies in 2024.

Main image: The Tiktok app. Picture by: Saulo Angelo/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press Wire.