More than 700 people working for a Meta contractor in Ireland are at risk of losing their jobs, documents show.In a significant blow to the Irish workforce, hundreds of employees at Covalen, a Dublin-based firm, have been informed that their jobs are in jeopardy. This unsettling news comes as Meta, the company for which Covalen provides various content moderation and labeling services, embarks on a substantial new wave of layoffs. This information was gleaned from documents obtained by WIRED, shedding light on the precarious situation these workers now find themselves in.
The announcement was made during a brief video meeting on a Monday afternoon, leaving the employees with no opportunity to voice their concerns or ask questions. Nick Bennett, one of the employees present during the call, shared his apprehension. “We had a pretty bad feeling [before the meeting],” he admitted, adding, “This has happened before.”
The potential layoffs could affect over 700 employees at Covalen, as per an email reviewed by WIRED. A significant portion of these, approximately 500, are data annotators. Their role involves scrutinizing material produced by Meta’s AI models to ensure it aligns with the company’s regulations against harmful and illegal content. One Covalen employee, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, described their work as “essentially training the AI to take over our jobs.” They added, “We take actions as the perfect decision for the AI to emulate.”
The nature of their work often involves devising intricate prompts to test the AI’s ability to prevent inappropriate content, such as child sexual abuse material or descriptions of suicide, from slipping through the cracks. Bennett described the job as grueling, stating, “You spend your whole day pretending to be a pedophile.”
Last week, Meta announced its intention to eliminate one in ten jobs as part of a broad layoff strategy aimed at enhancing the company’s efficiency. A company memo suggested that the layoffs were driven by a need to divert funds to other business areas. While the memo did not specifically mention AI, Meta has recently declared plans to nearly double its investment in this technology. In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that “2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work.” The email reviewed by WIRED only informed Covalen employees that the layoffs were due to “reduced demand and operational requirements.”
This is not the first time Covalen has had to reduce its workforce. In November, the company announced plans for job cuts, reportedly around 400, which led to a worker strike. Between these two rounds of layoffs, Covalen’s Dublin headcount is set to be almost halved, according to the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU), which includes some Covalen staff among its members.
The CWU also claims that the affected Covalen workers will face a six-month “cooldown period,” during which they are prohibited from applying to a competing Meta vendor. This restriction will undoubtedly complicate their search for new employment. “It’s undignified, you know,” says one of the affected employees, reflecting the frustration and uncertainty that many are feeling in the face of these sweeping changes.
In conclusion, the recent wave of layoffs at Covalen, driven by Meta’s strategic shift towards AI, has left hundreds of workers in a state of uncertainty. As they navigate the challenging landscape of job hunting amidst restrictions, their plight serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of technological advancement.
