More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise. Incomplete list of U.S. internet/high-tech/communications job destruction announcements in May 2017:
California: In San Jose, Cisco Systems continues killing jobs, this times 250! China based ‘smart’phone maker LeEco (aka Le Technology) eliminating 90% of its jobs and shutting down operations in San Diego! CNBC reported that even employees who had the day off were asked to ‘phone in’ to an emergency meeting, due to LeEco sales crashing & burning. The Sacramento Bee-sacbee.com suddenly laid off an undisclosed number of people. France based maker of automation (robots which replace humans in the workplace) and electronic spy gear (surveillance equipment) Schneider Electric-Pelco eliminating 2-hundred jobs in Clovis, blaming global competition! Local news media said at one time Pelco in Clovis employed at least 2-thousand people, but is currently down to less than 1-thousand. Apple Mirage issued a shutdown WARN for its Rancho Mirage location, 45 jobs lost by July. Gannett Publishing Services issued a shutdown WARN for its Camarillo location, 38 jobs lost in July. KSCI issued a layoff WARN for its TV ops in Los Angeles, 58 jobs gone by July. Marvell Semiconductor continues to issue layoff WARNs for its operations in Aliso Viejo and Santa Clara. Symantec continues issuing layoff WARNs for its Mountain View ops, this time 24 jobs gone by the end of June. Lumina Media issued a shutdown WARN for its Irvine location, 58 jobs lost by mid-July. Nippon based Hitachi Data issued a layoff WARN for Santa Clara, 48 jobs lost by mid-July. Charter Communications shutting down ops in Palm Desert, 206 jobs lost by mid-July! ‘Cloud ready’ Riverbed Technology suddenly laid off 61 people.
Florida: Saint Petersburg based coupon printer/distributor ValPak laying off 40 graphic artists, as a result of being taken over by Californian owned Platinum Equity.
Georgia: NexxLinx eliminating 236 jobs in Duluth!
Indiana: Spectrum shutting down its Evansville call center, 20 jobs lost as Spectrum shifts to fewer, but supposedly larger, call center ops.
New Jersey: Gannett Satellite Information Network issued a WARN for its Neptune ops, 88 jobs lost by July.
New York: ‘Peer to peer’ e-commerce Etsy eliminating at least 80 jobs due to its biggest investors accusing Etsy administrators of mismanagement. NYC based Sports Illustrated laid off five people due to declining revenues. The New York Times is trying to get its editors to voluntarily quit (buyouts) as part of a plan to consolidate editing operations. Texas based ViaTech Publishing halting printing ops in Bay Shore, 51 jobs lost by mid-August. Ancient tech company Xerox continues killing jobs, this time 177 warehouse employees in Webster will become unemployed between now and March 2018! B&H Foto and Electronics moving from Brooklyn-NYC to New Jersey, 57 jobs lost in August. In Amherst, Sykes laying off 71 people between September and November. ‘Automated online marketplace’ Merchant Cash and Capital issued a shutdown WARN for its NYC ops, at least 74 jobs lost by August.
North Carolina: NettLinx shutting down its Jacksonville operations, 280 jobs lost due to the unexpected loss of a major client!
Ohio: Bankrupt e-commerce focused clothing retailing group TradeGlobal eliminating 112 rue21 jobs in West Chester, only two years after claiming it would be creating “hundreds” of new jobs! TradeGlobal is the parent company of failed rue21 clothier. By the way, rue21 is now officially bankrupt busted.
Oregon: SolarWorld Americas issued a shutdown WARN for July, saying “This employment action will likely result in the termination of employment of approximately 500 regular employees and possibly up to a total of 711 regular employees at the Company Facility.” For some odd reason state employment officials (Oregon Rapid Response Activity Tracking System) posted the jobs losses as being 360, even thought SolarWorld’s letter clearly states 5-hundred to 711! SureID suddenly laid off 160 people after losing a tax-sucking U.S. Navy contract!
Pennsylvania: Direct mail book and magazine seller Rodale continues to eliminate jobs, numbers being undisclosed. It’s part of the company’s plan to ‘wind down’ its direct mail business and shift to “revenue streams…vital to…our long term growth.”
Tennessee: For the second time in less than six months Convergys conducting mass layoffs at its Clarksville call center, this time 160 jobs gone by mid-July due to crashing call volumes!
Texas: In Fort Worth, California based Ingram Micro Mobility continues killing jobs, this time 140 smartphone repair jobs being eliminated by the end of August! Last year Ingram Micro Mobility killed more than 9-hundred jobs due to crashing sales. World Wide Technology shutting down its Lewisville operations, 156 jobs gone by mid-July due to “market conditions”!
Virginia: Roanoke Times laid off 53 people as part of its plan to outsource printing ops. Illinois based LSC Communications halting book printing ops in Salem, 140 jobs lost beginning in July!
Washington: Seattle based Napster parent Rhapsody laid off an undisclosed number of people, blaming internet competition. Video game maker PopCap revealed it laid off an undisclosed number of employees. Video game maker Electronic Arts issued a layoff WARN, 45 jobs gone by July.
U.S. Tech/Communications breakdown, April 2017: “OUR DIGITAL REVENUE IS NOT GROWING FAST ENOUGH”