Earlier this month Workday, a HR and payroll processing company, announced a reduction in its headcount globally of 1,750 positions, or 8.5pc, but did not specify how many Irish jobs would be affected.

Workday has two offices in Dublin and said, in its most recent published accounts, that it employs more than 1,900 people here.

Peter Burke, the Minister for Enterprise, has told the Dail this is the first major lay-off in Workday’s history. “The company has said that it announced these plans as it is seeking to pivot structures and resources to prioritise investments such as AI. Consequently, this will negatively impact on certain roles as the company restructures,” he said.

“Workday has also indicated it will continue to invest in strategic areas of the business and prioritise resources and structures to meet customer and market demands. Ireland is Workday’s European EMEA headquarters and also a significant product and engineering hub, thus making it a really highly strategic location for the company.”

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Mr Burke said the Irish workforce is now over 2,000 strong, drawn from 67 different countries, and that the IDA is fully engaged with the company both in Ireland and at corporate level.

Founded in 2005, Workday first established a presence here in 2008 through the acquisition of Cape Clear, a Dublin-based software company, which employed 25 people. Seven years later it opened a European headquarters in Kings Building, and later moved into a second office at Dockline on the North Wall.

However last year it abandoned a proposed new headquarters in Grangegorman. The company had lodged plans with Dublin City Council for two office blocks ranging from eight to 12 storeys. “As we rapidly grow in Dublin, we have decided to expand our EMEA headquarters in existing office space rather than pursue a new development,” it announced in April.

The tech giant originally revealed its plan for job losses in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this month, saying it was launching a new restructuring plan targeting long-term growth.

In a further statement Workday said it remained committed to Dublin and would continue to invest in local innovation efforts. “We are close to announcing a new location in Dublin city centre that will bring all our employees together in one building, enabling greater collaboration and creativity,” a spokesperson said.