In the latest economic jolt to the region, beleaguered biotech giant Amgen Inc. said Monday that it will lay off about 8 percent of the company’s 8,300 Thousand Oaks workers this fall, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
The 675 layoffs at the company’s headquarters were roughly what had been expected, and make up nearly half of the 1,500 Amgen jobs that will be trimmed nationwide and in Puerto Rico.
Employees were notified Monday after about 700 U.S. employees agreed to voluntary buyouts. The number of Thousand Oaks workers who accepted buyouts wasn’t immediately available.
Details of the Thousand Oaks layoffs are expected to be announced by early November.
“It’s been quiet,” Amgen spokeswoman Sarah Rockwell said of the 130-acre campus that’s become Ventura County’s largest civilian employer. “I think staff were thankful to have a little more information. They’re happy … to be able to move on to the next step.”
Amgen’s layoff announcement is the latest blow to the region, coming on the heels of Calabasas-based Countrywide Financial Corp.’s announcement this month that it would trim 10,000 to 12,000 jobs – about 20 percent of its work force.
