Disney is preparing for massive layoffs: tens of thousands of people are going to fire. CNBC clarifies that this will affect about 32 thousand employees of theme parks in the United States and other countries. Layoffs will begin in the first half of next year. The downsizing is due to restrictions on the operation of theme parks amid the spread of the coronavirus.
As of early October, Disney employed about 203,000 people, 155 of them in entertainment and theme parks. The COVID-19 outbreak has cost it $ 2.4 billion in lost revenue, the company said, and the segment’s revenue fell 61 percent to $ 2.6 billion.
Now two Disneylands in California (USA) remain closed, and it is not yet clear when they will be able to earn money again, the park in Florida is still open, but preventive measures must be taken there: keep your distance and wear masks. Theme parks outside the United States operate in a similar way: in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. And Disneyland Paris had to be re-closed after the French authorities reintroduced a lockdown.
Disney announced plans to cut employees back in early September, but then it was about 28 thousand people. In addition, about 37 thousand employees of various divisions of the company are on forced leave.