Mass layoffs are in store for Texans, with nine employers in the state filing notice with the Texas Workforce Commission that they plan on eliminating more than 1,400 jobs in the coming weeks.
The latest round of layoffs will add to the nearly 20,000 seen this year. Dallas-Fort Worth will see the greatest number of workers affected, with almost 1,000 positions on the chopping block, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Federal law requires any company with over 100 full-time workers to announce layoff plans affecting 50 people or more at any single site at least 60 days in advance.
According to the notices, Accenture, American Medical Response (AMR), Fluor, Invista, L3Harris Technologies, Mittera Group, Parker Hannifin, Raytheon, and Reata Pharmaceuticals will be making cuts to their workforces in the Lone Star State.
Accenture’s plan to cut 351 jobs in Austin in December marks its third round of layoffs this year.
“From time to time, we adjust our workforce on ongoing projects to meet the needs of our clients. We are fully committed to supporting our people through this transition,” a company spokesperson said, per the DMN.
As covered by The Dallas Express, the company announced in March that it would be cutting 19,000 jobs worldwide in a bid to go lean. The move primarily affected its back-office staff and was estimated to cost approximately $1.2 billion in severance pay.
Colorado-based AMR will let go of 156 paramedics and nurses in Fort Worth. The office there was shut down as part of a restructuring plan. Global Medical Response bought AMR in 2018 and has since been maneuvering to get the private ambulance company out of $5.4 billion of debt.
Irving-based Fluor will be ceasing operations at its plastics plant in Corpus Christi. As a result, 66 jobs will be eliminated by November 10.
Meanwhile, L3Harris Technologies, a notable player in aerospace and defense technology, announced the elimination of 268 positions at its Rockwall facility, including 87 pilots. The company said that most of these workers are not local but work remotely from overseas.
Mittera Group will close its facility in Carrollton and terminate the 136 workers employed there. The Iowa-based printing and marketing services company will begin layoffs on December 9.
Due to the closure of its plant in Mesquite, which is slated for the end of January, Ohio-based Parker Hannifin will be laying off 76 workers.
“This plant closing is not a reflection on the skill or the effort of our employees. This closing is strictly a business decision based on the competitive nature of the air filtration marketplace,” the company said in a statement, according to the DMN.
Raytheon, the Massachusetts-based aerospace and defense contractor, will be laying off 38 employees starting November 10 due to the closure of its Dallas plant.
“We are working to absorb much of the talent currently at the Lemmon Avenue facility across our many sites in the North Texas region,” the company said in a statement to the DMN.
Finally, Reata Pharmaceuticals will cut 113 jobs in Plano between November 27 and January 31. The company was acquired by Biogen in a $7.3 billion cash deal this summer, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. An overall reduction of Reata’s workforce by 11% is expected to yield $1 billion in savings by 2025.
Despite the layoff announcements, the TWC boasted in a Labor Day announcement that the state had achieved record-breaking job growth and logged the largest labor force in its history, as recently reported by The Dallas Express.
