Companies across the country have been struggling to combat the economic challenges of Donald Trump’s failed pandemic response and employers in nearly every sector have either already announced or are considering layoffs.
The destruction is spread across businesses large and small, with mom-and-pop businesses in the hospitality industry to major conglomerates like Disney, Shell, American Airlines, and Ralph Lauren in the process of eliminating tens of thousands of jobs.
In response, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“For nearly eight months, Donald Trump has objectively failed to get the virus under control and the results have been catastrophic for our economy. We’re now staring down the barrel of yet another round of layoffs from companies of all sizes. Tens of thousands of jobs are vanishing across nearly every single industry – hospitality, entertainment, media, major retailers, tech, auto, airlines, financial services, energy, even defense contractors.
“That means tens of thousands of families – on top of the tens of millions who’ve already filed for unemployment since March – will be thrown even further into economic crisis. Yet, Donald Trump has no plan to do the one thing that would actually boost the economy – listening to the experts and finally get this virus under control.”
Taylor Borden, Allana Akhtar, Joey Hadden, and Debanjali Bose // September 30, 2020
Oil giant Shell is cutting up to 9,000 jobs, or roughly 10% of its workforce, as of September 30. The layoffs are meant to cut costs amid the pandemic, as well as position the company to move away from fossil fuels. Source: CNN
Disney announced on September 29 that it was cutting 28,000 jobs from its theme parks division as the coronavirus pandemic continues to heavily impact that side of its business. The layoffs will most heavily affect part-time employees. CNBC reported in August that park shutdowns cost the company $3.5 billion. Source: CNN, CNBC
Ralph Lauren said it would cut its global workforce by about 15% on September 22, ultimately saving the retailer $180 million annually. Source: Wall Street Journal
As of September 21, Carnival Cruise Line is laying off an unspecified “small number” of its crew members as it reduces its fleet size. The cuts represent the company’s second round of layoffs this year. Source: Business Insider
Lufthansa announced on September 21 that it is further shrinking its global fleet and workforce. The airline did not announce how many job cuts to expect, but noted that it had a personnel surplus of more than 22,000 positions. Source: Reuters
Defense and aerospace giant Raytheon Technologies announced it will cut 15,000 jobs on September 17. Source: CNN
The Guggenheim Museum, which will reopen on October 3, announced that it will be doing so with a smaller staff — it laid off 11% of employees as of September 16. Source: New York Times
Kohl’s is cutting 15% of its corporate workforce. The unspecified cuts will save the company $65 million annually, according to a September 15 securities filing. Source: Wall Street Journal
Dell told employees on September 14 that it will start eliminating an unspecified number of jobs in an effort to cut costs, according to Bloomberg. Source: Bloomberg
Citigroup will continue laying off roughly 1% of its global workforce, the company announced on September 14. The cuts end a previous commitment to pause layoffs amid the pandemic. Source: Bloomberg
United Airlines announced on September 2 that it will furlough 16,370 employees once federal aid expires on October 1. In a July 30 internal memo, United Airlines said it would furlough a third of its pilots — 3,900 people. The airline had announced on July 8 that it would issue layoff and furlough notices to 36,000 employees, including 2,250 pilots and 15,000 flight attendants. Before that, in a leaked May 4 memo, United Airlines said it expected to lay off at least 30% or some 3,400 employees on its administrative staff. Sources: Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, Business Insider, The Points Guy, Business Insider
Ford is offering buyouts to 1,400 workers eligible for retirement this year in the US. The September 2 cuts make up just under 5% of the company’s US workforce. Source: Wall Street Journal
MGM Resorts is laying off 18,000 previously furloughed employees starting August 28. Source: CNBC
Coca-Cola said it plans to offer voluntary-separation packages to 4,000 employees in North America on August 28. It did not specify the total number of employees it plans to layoff. Source: Wall Street Journal
Salesforce started to lay off 1,000 of 54,000 employees on August 26, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news comes one day after the company posted record sales. In March, CEO Marc Benioff pledged a 90-day freeze on layoffs. Source: Wall Street Journal
On August 25, American Airlines, which previously announced cutting 20% of the company’s workforce, said that it would cut 19,000 employees in October when federal aid ends. Source: CNBC
Delta Airlines plans to furlough 1,941 pilots in October following the expiration of federal aid, the company said on August 24. Source: CNN
In April, Boeing committed to cutting its massive staff by 10%. In an August 17 memo, Boeing told employees it was starting a second round of buyout offers that would extend beyond the original expected numbers. Source: Wall Street Journal
WarnerMedia started layoffs on August 10. The first round of cuts are expected to impact 600 employees, mostly at Warner Bros. The cuts include top executives. Source: Business Insider, Deadline
AT&T laid off an additional 54 people in its marketing division on August 6, after laying off 3,400 employees in June. Source: Business Insider
NBCUniversal started layoffs on August 4, impacting its broadcast networks, movie studio, and theme parks. The company is expected to cut less than 10% of its 35,000-person workforce. Source: Wall Street Journal
Spirit Airlines is preparing to furlough 20-30% of its workforce, according to a July 28 internal memo. Those at risk include pilots and flight attendants. Source: Reuters
L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, said it would lay off 15% of its workforce on July 28. The job cuts impact 850 people at the company’s Columbus, Ohio, headquarters. Source: Business Insider
Creative Artists Agency, a major Los Angeles talent firm, announced layoffs on July 28. It will layoff 90 agents and furlough 275 assistants — or nearly 20% of its workforce. Source: Los Angeles Times, Billboard
Oilfield services company Schlumberger said it is cutting roughly 21,000 jobs on July 24. It also reported second-quarter losses of $3.4 billion. Source: Wall Street Journal
Daimler, the company that owns Mercedes-Benz, may cut 30% of its global workforce, Manager Magazine reported on July 22. Source: Manager Magazine, TeleTrader
Tailored Brands, the parent company behind Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, said it expects to layoff 20% of its workforce and shutter 500 stores on July 21. Source: Business Insider
LinkedIn said it would cut 960 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce, on July 21. The cuts will impact hiring and sales positions. Source: Reuters
Instead of involuntary layoffs, Southwest Airlines offered extended leave and exit packages. As of July 20, 28% of its workforce — mostly pilots and flight attendants — have accepted such deals. Source: Reuters
On July 15, American Airlines said that it will soon layoff 25,000 workers, including 9,950 flight attendants and 2,500 pilots. The cuts represent almost 20% of the company. Source: Business Insider
Department store JC Penney announced that it would shutter 152 stores and lay off 1,000 jobs in corporate and field management on July 15. The company filed for bankruptcy in May and furloughed thousands in April. Source: Reuters, Business Insider
PVH Corp, the company that owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger among other brands, announced that it is shuttering 162 stores and cutting 450 jobs, or 12% of its workforce, on July 14. Source: Business Insider
On July 9, Bloomberg Law reported that Wells Fargo is preparing to cut thousands of jobs out of its 263,000-person workforce. Source: Reuters, Bloomberg Law
Walgreens said it plans to cut 4,000 jobs on July 9, after reporting a $1.7 billion loss in the third quarter. Source: Bloomberg, Business Insider
Levi’s, the denim company, announced on July 7 it was slashing 700 jobs. The cuts account for 15% of its total workforce. Source: Business Insider
While Macy’s furloughed the majority of its workforce in March, it announced it would lay off about 3,900 corporate workers on June 25.Source: Business Insider
HSBC, Europe’s biggest bank, announced plans to cut 35,000 jobs — or 15% of its global workforce — across the US and Europe on June 17. Source: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal
On June 16, a union representing AT&T employees said the wireless carrier will lay off 3,400 and shut down more than 250 stores. Source: Business Insider
Hilton Hotels announced it is laying off 2,100 corporate employees on June 16, amounting to 22% of its corporate workforce. Source: CNN
Chevron, the second-largest oil producer in the US, announced that it will cut 10% to 15% of its 45,000 global workforce on May 27. Source: Reuters
Boeing said it would lay off nearly 7,000 employees on May 27. The company initially announced that it would cut about 10% of its workforce on April 29. The company had 143,000 workers at the beginning of the year. Source: Business Insider, Business Insider
IBM will eliminate “several thousand jobs” as of May 22, mainly in the company’s technology-services division. Cuts come a month after new CEO Arvind Krishna withdrew IBM’s financial outlook amid economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Source: Business Insider
Weeks after ride-hailing giant Uber announced it is cutting 3,700 jobs (14% of its workforce), CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced on May 18 that he will cut 3,000 additional jobs and close 45 offices.Source: Business Insider, WSJ
Airbnb announced it is laying off about 25% of its workforce, or 1,900 employees, on May 5. Its severance package includes several months’ pay, a year of healthcare, and support finding a new job.Source: Business Insider
Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic announced it would cut 3,150 jobs on May 5, in addition to retiring its iconic Boeing 747-700 planes a year early. Source: Business Insider
Ride-hailing company Lyft is laying off 982 employees and furloughing another 288, accounting for 17% of the company’s workforce. The company made the announcement on April 29 and added that other cost-cutting measures include pay cuts for executive leadership. Source: Business Insider
On April 28, online travel company TripAdvisor announced it was laying off more than 900 of its employees, amounting to a quarter of its workforce. Source: Business Insider
Hertz said it plans to lay off 10,000 employees on April 20. The car rental company previously employed 38,000 people. Source: Reuters
On April 12, a union representing workers at Walt Disney World said the company will be furloughing 43,000 employees starting April 19. The amusement parks have been closed since March 16 and 200 essential workers will continue maintaining them. Source: New York Times, Vox
On April 7, Tesla sent an email to employees saying it will furlough all nonessential workers until at least May 4, and reduce all employees’ pay by at least 10%. These cost-cutting measures are expected to start April 13. Source: Business Insider, CNBC
JCPenney has already started furloughing workers and confirmed it would continue to furlough a “significant portion” of its 85,000 employees as of April 5. Source: JCPenney, Business Insider
On April 3, Under Armour announced that it will temporarily lay off about 6,700 employees starting April 12. Source: Baltimore Sun
The Wing, a buzzy Instagram-ready women’s coworking company, is laying off nearly all of its hourly employees and half of its corporate staff as of April 3, according to Vice. The company confirmed the layoffs but did not elaborate on numbers. Its founders are foregoing their salaries. Source: Vice
ClassPass, the billion-dollar fitness platform, furloughed or laid off over half of its 700 employees on April 2 — 22% were laid off and 31% were furloughed. Source: CNBC
On April 2, airplane manufacturer Boeing announced that it would offer a voluntary layoff plan to employees to cut costs. Those opting into the layoff plan will leave with a pay and benefits package, but the company offered no details about compensation. Source: Business Insider
Famed auction house Sotheby’s is furloughing 200 people — or 12% of its workforce —as of April 1, according to the Wall Street Journal. Source: Wall Street Journal
Sephora laid off over 3,000 employees across the US via conference call on March 31. “It is our sincerest hope that we are able to bring these employees back on staff in the near future,” Sephora said in a statement. Source: Business Insider
Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette informed his staff via email that the company would be furloughing most of its 125,000 employees on March 30. The company only plans to have work for “the minimum number of employees necessary to maintain basic business operations” across Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury, Gennette wrote. He will stop receiving his salary, along with the rest of the board of directors. Source: Business Insider, CNN
Bird, the buzzy electric scooter company, laid off 30% of its staff via a Zoom call on March 27. The call lasted only around 2 minutes. Source: Business Insider
Everlane, the clothing retailer focused on ethical sourcing, laid off over 200 employees and furloughed 68 others on March 27. CEO Michael Preysman will reduce his salary to zero. Source: Vice
ZipRecruiter laid off 443 employees and furloughed dozens more on March 27, days after CEO Ian Siegel said the billion-dollar online job-hub company was safe. Source: Business Insider
Sonder, a billion-dollar apartment-rental startup billed as a hospitality industry disruptor, laid off or furloughed 400 people — one third of its workforce — on March 24, according to The Information. Source: The Information
GE announced that it will be reducing approximately 10% of its aviation unit’s workforce, amounting to about 2,500 employees, on March 23. It also announced a three month furlough impacting 50% of its maintenance and repair employees. GE CEO Larry Culp will forgo his salary for the rest of the year, while GE Aviation CEO David Joyce will give up half of his salary. Source: GE, Wall Street Journal
According to the Washington Post, at least 200 workers across President Trump’s hotels in Washington DC, New York City, and Las Vegas were laid off as of March 20. Other Trump properties, like Palm Beach’s Mar-a-Lago, have temporarily closed. Source: Washington Post, Business Insider
Air Canada announced it is set to lay off more than 5,100, or 50%, of its flight crew on March 19. Renee Smith-Valade, the airline’s vice president, called the decision “difficult but necessary” in a statement. Source: CBC
Cirque du Soleil announced it is laying off 95% of its 4,679 person staff on March 19, a week after canceling all its upcoming performances. The circus producer kept 259 staffers to plan and sell tickets for future tours. Source: Cirque du Soleil, Forbes
New York’s Metropolitan Opera is the largest performing arts organization in the US by budget. On March 19, the Met laid off all of its union employees for the duration of the coronavirus outbreak. The Met also announced the cancellation of all performances through the end of the 2019-2020 season, which was set to end May 9. Source: NPR
Famous restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, which owns beloved NYC staples like Gramercy Tavern, laid off 2,000 employees, or 80% of its workforce, on March 18. Source: Business Insider
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, which owns over 50 hotels in the US including the W in Los Angeles, laid off 50% of its 8,000 employees on March 17. CEO Jon Bortz also told the Los Angeles Times that the company may need to lay off an additional 2,000 employees by the end of the month. Source: Los Angeles Times
Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel company, said it has started to furlough what could amount to tens of thousands of employees on March 17. Furloughs, as opposed to layoffs, occur when employees are required to take an unpaid leave of absence. Arne Sorenson, the president and CEO, announced that his own salary will be suspended for the rest of the year and senior executives’ salaries will be reduced by 50%. Source: Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Business Insider
Norwegian Airlines announced the temporary layoff of 90% of its workforce on March 16, amounting to 7,300 employees. The airline also canceled 85% of its flights. Source: Reuters
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) announced that it would temporarily lay off 10,000 employees — 90% of its staff — on March 15. SAS also halted the majority of its flights and is operating with limited service. Source: Forbes