Boeing Layoffs 2024: Airline Major To Cut 2500 Jobs - Here's Why

Boeing is planning to lay off more than 2,500 workers in the US from Washington, Oregon, South Carolina and Missouri. This is part of the company's larger plan to cut 17,000 jobs or 10% of its global workforce, as it is heavy on debts.

Boeing has already sent nearly 2,200 layoff notices to its workers in Washington and another 220 in South Carolina. These are the states where Boeing builds its commercial airliners.

The debt-ridden firm could also use alternative means of reducing workforce such as selective hiring and sales of subsidiaries to reduce workforce.

The company started informing its affected workforce on Wednesday, last week that they will stay on the payroll until January 17, to meet with federal requirements that entail notifying employees at least 60 days prior to ending their employment.

According to a Reuters report, the company declined commenting on these layoffs on Monday.

Reportedly, news that Boeing would send out the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) in mid-November was widely expected.  

Boeing's new CEO, Kelly Ortberg said that the company does not intend to "take people off production or out of the engineering labs."

Despite this, several hundred engineers and production workers are among the people to have received pink slips.

As many as 438 members of the union have received layoff notices last week including 218 engineers and 220 technicians, according to the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.

According to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District Lodge 837 in St. Louis, Boeing sent notices to 111 members, primarily the ones that made wing components for 777X.

The criteria of employees being laid off is varying between sections of Boeing.

These notices come as Boeing is trying to restart production of its strongest 737 MAX.