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Tech, Biotech Layoffs Jolt Bay Area Job Market

Renesas Electronics, Western Digital, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Talis Biomedical disclosed decisions to conduct employment reductions affecting their workers in the Bay Area.

Tech and biotech companies have revealed plans to slash the jobs of hundreds more of their Bay Area workers, capping off a brutal year for employment reductions in the technology sector.

Renesas Electronics, Western Digital, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Talis Biomedical disclosed decisions to conduct employment reductions affecting their workers in the Bay Area, according to official WARN letters that the companies sent to the state Employment Development Department (EDD).

Here are the details for the most recent plans for staffing cutbacks by tech or biotech companies:
  • Talis Biomedical, 103 job cuts in Redwood City. The layoffs, slated to occur by Jan. 14, arise from a permanent closure of the company’s labs and office in the peninsula city.
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific, 74 layoffs in Petaluma. These cutbacks are scheduled for Feb. 1.
  • Renesas Electronics, 65 Bay Area staffing reductions, including 50 in Milpitas and 15 in San Jose. The cutbacks officially occurred on Dec. 1, but EDD didn’t post them publicly until Dec. 22.
  • Western Digital, 60 job cuts in Milpitas. These are due to take effect on Jan. 19.

The layoffs were all described in the WARN letters as being “permanent” in nature, according to the state filings.

Here are some other high-profile tech industry cutbacks revealed in December:
  • Amazon, 57 layoffs in San Francisco.
  • Nextdoor, 99 job cuts in San Francisco.
  • Analog Devices, 111 layoffs in San Jose.
  • Marvell Semiconductor, 58 staffing reductions in Santa Clara.
  • Intel, 76 layoffs in Santa Clara.
  • Agilent Technologies, 32 staff cuts in Santa Clara.

As of Dec. 29, the last business day of last year, tech companies had revealed plans during 2023 to chop about 21,600 jobs in the Bay Area.

The 2023 total was more than double the approximately 10,300 in job cuts that tech companies disclosed in 2022, according to this news organization’s review of hundreds of WARN notices sent to the state EDD.

(c)2024 Silicon Valley, San Jose. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.