Coronavirus economy: Official warnings of job cuts mount in Bay Area, California
SAN JOSE — The number of layoffs or furloughs being planned by Bay Area companies has soared by a jaw-dropping 10 times compared with the plans that were in the works just 15 days ago, according to official state records that this news organization reviewed Friday.
Over the 15 days that ended on April 10, Bay Area employers filed notices of planned layoffs totaling 18,500 — more than 10 times as great as the 1,300 that were being planned in the Bay Area over the 15 days that ended on March 25, state Employment Development Department documents show.
Among the high-profile businesses affected by the latest round of proposed employment reductions: TeamSanJose, the umbrella group for the San Jose convention center and several downtown theaters; Levy Premium Foodservice, which provides services for Levi’s Stadium; the Claremont Hotel perched high in the Oakland-Berkeley hills; the Palace Hote and Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco; Golden Gate Fields in Albany; and Solage spa in the Napa Valley.
Movie theaters, wineries, resorts, auto dealerships, hotels, restaurants, air travel-linked operations, as well as at least one casino and a brewery have told state officials they have decided to eliminate workers.
One tiny ray of hope in the economic gloom that has descended on the tottering Bay Area job market: Nearly all of the layoff warnings were listed as temporary, the EDD files show.
The largest Bay Area staffing reduction revealed for the Bay Area in the most recent 15 days was instituted by TeamSanJose. The San Jose-based organization oversees the San Jose Convention Center, the visitor’s bureau, the center’s South Hall, as well as the Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose Civic Auditorium, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall, and California Theater.
TeamSanJose listed plans to temporarily lay off slightly more than 1,300 workers in San Jose, the EDD filing shows.