Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / Getty Images
PASADENA (CNS) - Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena will lay off about 550 additional employees beginning Tuesday as it continues a restructuring of its workforce -- adding to more than 800 jobs already slashed at the space lab last year.
"In order to best position JPL going forward, we are taking steps to restructure and establish an appropriate size to ensure future success," JPL Director Dave Gallagher said in a message to the staff on Monday.
"As part of this effort, JPL is undergoing a realignment of its workforce, including a reduction in staff."
Gallagher insisted the cuts are part of an ongoing reorganization effort, and not tied to the current federal government shutdown.
He said the cuts will involve workers in "technical, business and support areas," and that affected employees will be notified Tuesday.
"Over the past few months, we have communicated openly with employees about the challenges and hard choices ahead," Gallagher said. "This week's action, while not easy, is essential to securing JPL's future by creating a leaner infrastructure, focusing on our core technical capabilities, maintaining fiscal discipline, and positioning us to compete in the evolving space ecosystem -- all while continuing to deliver on our vital work for NASA and the nation.
"We are grateful for the contributions of our departing colleagues, whose work has advanced exploration and innovation in ways that benefit us all."
JPL underwent two rounds of layoffs last year, slashing about 500 people in February 2024, then laying off another 325 later in the year.
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, said Monday the 550 new layoffs represent about 11% of JPL's total staff. She said she was "disappointed and disheartened" by the news, particularly on the heels of the nearby Eaton Fire and last year's job cuts.
"This is not only a tragedy for our community, but also an immense loss for our nation," Chu said in a statement.
"JPL is a national asset that has helped the United States accomplish some of the greatest feats in space and science for decades. Every layoff devastates the highly skilled and uniquely talented workforce that has made these accomplishments possible. Taken together with last year's layoffs, this will result in an untold loss of scientific knowledge and expertise that threatens the very future of American leadership in space exploration and scientific discovery."