Some folks are mentioning this in the comments, and it’s pretty big news, so I’ll just drop it on you: Boeing plans workforce reduction of 4,500, with layoffs in second quarter
Boeing said Friday it will cut its Commercial Airplane workforce in 2009 by about 4,500 people, mostly in Washington State.
The reduction will be made largely through layoffs, though the figure also includes attrition.
“Initial 60-day layoff notices will be issued on Feb. 20, and most layoffs will occur in the second quarter of the year,” said Scott Carson, chief executive of Commercial Airplanes in an internal message to employees Friday morning.
Boeing employs just over 76,400 people in the state, the vast majority of those in the Commercial Airplanes unit, so this represents more than a 5 percent workforce cut.
Dang.