Economy | Tech, biotech, non-tech layoffs jolt Bay Area with 900-plus job cuts

The companies in the Bay Area have decided to cut a total of 955 jobs, as stated by EDD in the filed WARN letters.

According to the official filings, these are the companies participating in the most recent round of job reductions in the Bay Area.

Starting from September 28th, Alstom Mass Transit, the producer of train carriages that will serve as BART’s future fleet, is reducing its workforce in Pittsburg by 41 positions. Simultaneously, Alstom is shutting down its facility located on Loveridge Road in Pittsburg.

The organization announced that Point Digital Finance has opted to eliminate 61 positions in Palo Alto. Point Digital offers a software platform to assist individuals in obtaining home equity lines of credit. The layoffs took place on July 28th, but were published by the EDD on August 31st.

— Pizza Antica is cutting 43 jobs in Mill Valley in a shutdown of the restaurant. The layoff date is Sept. 22.

– CSL Vifor is eliminating 85 positions in Redwood City, starting on October 25th, as announced by the specialized pharmaceuticals company.

Codexis, a biotech company, has decided to chop 59 jobs between its sites in San Carlos and Redwood City due to budget cuts occurring on September 30.

Headway Technologies, a data storage products maker, is scheduled to cut 88 jobs at several sites in Milpitas on September 22nd for layoffs.

Charles River Laboratories announced that it will be implementing layoffs on September 19th, resulting in the elimination of 55 positions in South San Francisco. This decision comes as part of the company’s plan to permanently close one of its sites.

In Fremont, Accenture, a technology company, has chosen to cut 240 positions. These job cuts are scheduled to occur on Nov. 10. Additionally, Accenture will be shutting down locations in Fremont.

– Vionic, a footwear company, is eliminating six positions in San Rafael, effective September 17th.

— FibroGen, which has failed in two trials for key drug treatments, is cutting 104 jobs in San Francisco around Sept. 15.

Fish Market Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, including South San Francisco, San Mateo, and Palo Alto, are scheduled to close in mid-September. As a result, around 140 jobs will be cut and the seafood spots will cease operations.

— Corteva Agriscience, an independent spinoff of the one-time agricultural unit of industrial titan DowDuPont, is laying off 31 workers in Pittsburg.

Despite the recent waves of tech layoffs, the tech industry is significantly reducing the rate of job reductions.

During the initial eight months of 2023, technology companies reduced approximately 16,900 positions in the Bay Area.

The majority of these tech layoffs occurred during the first three months of this year, as indicated by the news notices from EDD, the survey organization.

In the first quarter of January to March, technology companies disclosed intentions to cut 10,154 positions in the Bay Area.

However, during the second quarter of April through June, technology firms disclosed their decision to cut 5,239 jobs — a substantial decline of 48.4%.

In August and July, tech companies unveiled plans to eliminate 1,523 jobs, marking an even steeper decline than expected for the point at which the third quarter’s first two months concluded.

Several layoffs highlight the decline in the tech industry following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • The company in Milpitas is trimming its workforce. Headway Technologies paid $31 million for a building in Milpitas to accommodate 800 workers after the global spread of the virus in July 2020.

    Said in the WARN notice to the EDD, Shane Murray, an Alstom Mass Transit HR Operations Business Partner, stated that “economic reasons” were the main factor behind its workforce reductions and its permanent shutdown in Pittsburg, Alstom Mass Transit, which manufactures new BART rail cars.

    The last day of production at the Pittsburg location is September 28th.

    In the WARN letter, Murray mentioned that Alstom’s choice to consolidate and relocate all production from Pittsburg to Alstom’s Plattsburgh, New York location and halt all activities at the Pittsburg site has led to higher expenses due to inflation and disruption in the global supply network.