Intel Cuts 300 Employees in Ireland

Intel yesterday announced that the company will cut 294 jobs from its Irish plant in Leixlip, County Kildare.

Intel has said that the job cuts are a result of the consolidation of two of its factories on the property which is situated just outside of the Irish capital, Dublin. The chip maker said that the cuts were a direct result of a decline in demand for older 200mm technologies.

“The fact of the matter is the older 200mm technologies are coming to the end of their useful life and there aren’t that many customers left for those products. The key is repurposing ourselves; identifying a new transition path and winning new investment is vital,” an Intel spokesperson said, according to Silicon Republic.

Intel has begun a three month consultation to determine which staff will be the first to go come October. The compulsory layoffs are the first for Intel Ireland following the company's request for 300 voluntary redundancies at the beginning of the year. Intel has invested more than $6 billion in its Irish facilities since it first set up shop in Ireland back in 1989.