According to a report from Deadline, a third round of layoffs is underway at The Walt Disney Company. In total, Disney was aiming for a reduction in 7,000 positions, with the majority of those losses being actual jobs, and some being a removal of expected job openings.
In a March email, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that there were three waves of layoffs expected, although the report from Deadline suggests that there may be more layoffs beyond this third wave. Here’s what Iger previously said about the timing of the layoffs in March:
This week, we begin notifying employees whose positions are impacted by the company’s workforce reductions. Leaders will be communicating the news directly to the first group of impacted employees over the next four days. A second, larger round of notifications will happen in April with several thousand more staff reductions, and we expect to commence the final round of notifications before the beginning of the summer to reach our 7,000-job target.
The reduction in the workforce is part of a larger cost-saving effort that is supposed to assist the bottom line to the tune of $5.5 billion. The layoffs started as a hiring freeze under then-CEO Bob Chapek in November 2022. Iger assumed control of the company shortly thereafter and announced the layoffs in a February 2023 earnings call.
While it is expected that the Disney Parks division will see layoffs as part of this effort, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro reiterated earlier today that there will be no frontline layoffs in the parks as Disney continues to uphold its world-class service.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!