Tech, biotech companies trim Bay Area jobs as fresh layoffs surface
SAN JOSE — Two tech companies and a biotech firm have revealed plans to trim well over 100 Bay Area jobs, fresh indicators that the cutting-edge sectors continue to scout for ways to operate more efficiently.
Lumentum, Juniper Networks and Catalent have officially notified the state labor agency of upcoming staffing reductions affecting Bay Area workers.
Together, the latest employment reductions will trigger job cuts for 179 tech or biotech workers in the Bay Area, WARN letters to the state Employment Development Department show.
Here are some of the details of the most recent job cuts to affect tech and biotech workers in the Bay Area, as shown in posts by the EDD on the state agency’s website:
— Lumemtum, a manufacturer of optical and photonic equipment, has decided to cut 82 jobs at three locations in San Jose. These reductions are expected to occur on May 6.
— Catalent, a pharmaceuticals company, is cutting 90 jobs in South San Francisco. The reductions are slated to occur on May 24. Denmark-based Novo Holdings announced on Feb. 5 that it had struck a deal to buy New Jersey-based Catalent. These layoffs are part of a permanent closure of facilities on the Peninsula.
— Juniper Networks, a maker of high-tech networking devices and systems, is trimming 7 jobs in Sunnyvale. The layoffs are scheduled for May 6.
All of the job cuts were described as permanent.
The tech and biotech layoffs arrive on the heels of an EDD jobs report that showed the tech industry suffered net job losses in January.
Tech companies cut 1,900 jobs in the Bay Area on a net basis during January, according to a Beacon Economics estimate derived from the EDD’s seasonally adjusted figures.
In January, tech companies slashed 1,800 jobs in the San Francisco-San Mateo region and another 1,600 in the South Bay, the Beacon assessment showed. Tech companies added 1,300 jobs in the East Bay in January.
Overall, the Bay Area added 13,600 jobs in January, an indicator the nine-county region was able to add jobs and withstand the tech industry employment losses.