US health tech firm announces redundancies in Ireland
Merative, a US-based health technology company, has announced that it will cut around 100 jobs in Ireland as part of its cost reduction efforts. The company, which was formerly known as IBM Watson Health, employs about 400 people in Dublin. The layoffs will affect around 25% of its current staff, mainly in the technology department.
The company informed the Department of Enterprise and Minister Simon Coveney of its plans for collective redundancy in a letter seen by the Irish Examiner. The letter stated that the majority of impacted roles are within its Technology organisation, affecting around 78 staff members, with the remaining cuts affecting areas including sales, design, products and communications.
The company also notified the at-risk employees by email last month, saying that the cost reduction plans were “one of many difficult but necessary steps we are taking to ensure the long-term health of our business for our clients and the people they serve”. The company has not yet confirmed which roles will be cut, with that decision expected by mid-October.
Merative to expand its operations in India
The news of the job cuts in Ireland comes as Merative announced its plans to open three “global capability and innovation centres” in India, where it expects to grow its teams with new talent. The company has recently opened offices in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, and said that it “looks forward” to strengthening its global team by uniting its Indian and US operations.
Merative’s CEO, Gerry McCarthy, said in a statement: “While India teammates have always been a vital part of Merative, this transition unites and strengthens our global team, making Merative complete”. Many employees in Ireland now fear that their jobs will be moved to India, where the labour costs are lower and the talent pool is larger.
Merative’s history and services
Merative was founded in 2022 after US private equity firm Francisco Partners bought IBM’s healthcare data and analytics assets. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has a second branch in Dublin city centre. The company describes itself as “a data and software partner for health and government social services”.
Merative has six solution areas, referred to as the “Big Six”, which include Irish-founded Cúram, Marketscan, Health Insights, Merge, Zelta, and Micromedex. Cúram is a system for processing social welfare details that was originally developed in Ireland while the company was still owned by IBM. Merative’s clients span across governments, life sciences and healthcare providers.
