Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell

US computer giant Dell, which is Ireland's biggest exporter, is to cut up to 250 jobs in Dublin and Limerick, the company said today.

Earlier this month, Dell founder Michael Dell said that the company would be seeking more than 8,000 job cuts in addition to cuts that were announced last year.

Staff were briefed earlier on the job cuts which are to be in sales, marketing, finance, technical support and other administrative functions. Most of the losses are expected to affect the Dublin operation.

A spokeswoman for the company said that although Dell was still experiencing double digit growth globally, it recognised that more needed to be done. She said the cuts were part of consolidation in the Irish workforce. The company said a similar level of job losses would be reflected throughout the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Dell employs about 4,500 people in Ireland.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore described the job losses as "a very worrying development" and said that the Government was complacent.

"Today's job losses are related to the failure of Fianna Fail led Governments to deliver in such areas as infrastructure and broadband and to control utility costs. As a result we appear to be losing well paid jobs such as those in Dell," he said.

Gilmore called on incoming Taoiseach Brian Cowen to make these issues a priority as he assumes power, along with a new approach to education and re-training to ensure that the national skillset matched international demand.

Last year, Dell opened an additional plant besides the one in Limerick for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region, in Poland and and it's likely that the Irish operation will be subject to further contraction because of the high cost base here.