Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will meet with senior representatives from major Irish employers Amazon and Intel at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos over the next two days.

Varadkar will engage with executives from the companies, which are both expected to cut jobs in Ireland following redundancy announcements in recent weeks, after arriving at the Swiss ski resort on Wednesday evening.

Amazon announced last week that it would lay off 18,000 staff worldwide, although the level of cuts in Ireland remains unclear, and it is expected that Intel could soon make up to 100 redundancies in Ireland.

The Taoiseach is also expected to meet on Thursday and Friday with political leaders, including Keir Starmer, the leader of the UK's Labour Party; Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader; Samantha Power, administrator of USAID; Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament; and Maia Sandu, the President of Moldova.

Varadkar took part in an IDA Ireland event on Wednesday night attended by more than 50 industry leaders from client companies of the state agency for foreign direct investment.

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A spokesperson said the Taoiseach would highlight Ireland's enduring economic potential, stability and strengths, as well as the country's contribution to cooperation in Europe and protecting the rule of law

He will emphasise that employment in Ireland is at record levels, and that Ireland has a rich pool of talented and innovative workers. He will also promote Ireland’s plans to become a major off-shore wind generator.

This year's World Economic Forum, a staple of the business calendar attended by global political and business leaders, is focusing on 'Cooperation in a Fragmented World'.

Discussions are also likely to be dominated by the war in Ukraine and the cost of living, potential headwinds for the global economy and international trade, and managing the climate crisis.   

Photo: Leo Varadkar. (Pic: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie)