The Mercury News

Bay Area layoffs widen; pace of tech job cuts below 2023

- By George Avalos gavalos @bayareanew­sgroup.com

The pace of Bay Area tech layoffs so far in 2024 remains below the cutbacks in the industry over the same time frame in 2023 — even as a widening number of technology companies continue to chop employees.

Hundreds of Bay Area workers are affected by the most recent tech industry job cuts in the region after staffing reductions at Marvell Semiconduc­tor, Sony Interactiv­e Entertainm­ent, Jabil and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, according to WARN notices the organizati­ons filed with the state Employment Developmen­t Department.

The four organizati­ons have revealed plans to cut a combined 200 tech jobs in the latest layoffs.

Separately, a biotech company, Exelixis, disclosed a decision to chop 143 jobs in Alameda, where the life sciences firm has its headquarte­rs.

Regarding the tech industry, here are details for the latest high-tech sector layoffs reported to the EDD:

• Sony Interactiv­e Entertainm­ent, 118 job cuts in San Mateo

• Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, 50 layoffs, consisting of 49 informatio­n technology jobs in Pleasanton and one I.T. position in Oakland

• Marvell Semiconduc­tor, 23 staffing cuts in Santa Clara

• Jabil, nine layoffs in San Jose as part of a site shutdown

“Kaiser Permanente is continuall­y evaluating our operations and services to ensure we deliver on our mission of providing high quality, affordable health care services,” a Kaiser spokespers­on stated in comments emailed to this news organizati­on.

“We are taking steps to reduce costs across our organizati­on, which has resulted in the eliminatio­n of 50 informatio­n technology positions in the East Bay,” the Kaiser spokespers­on said.

Kaiser's cutbacks did not involve any workers represente­d by a union.

All of the employers described their respective job cuts as permanent.

“Sony Interactiv­e Entertainm­ent is undergoing a

number of organizati­onal changes,” Amelia Sanchez-Moran, a Sony Interactiv­e senior counsel, wrote in the company's WARN letter to the EDD. “As a result, we have had to make some difficult choices, resulting in layoffs at the company's San Mateo location.”

As a result of the latest layoffs, employers have revealed plans to chop about 5,600 tech jobs in the Bay Area, based on the disclosure­s for the first two months of 2024, this news organizati­on's review of the WARN notices shows.

During the first two months of 2023, tech companies revealed their intentions to eliminate slightly more than 8,500 jobs in the Bay Area.

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