Only about two weeks after reopening the Orlando theme parks amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Universal has laid off an undisclosed number of employees.
Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said Tuesday night:
“We have made the difficult decision to reduce our parks and resorts workforce across multiple locations and business units. This decision was not made lightly, but was necessary to prepare us for the future.”
The number of people laid off was not specified.
Schroder also said:
“We are working to structure and strengthen our business for the future in anticipation of the tourism industry taking time to fully recover. In that regard, we have already taken important steps such as adjusting budgets and implementing salary reductions and furloughs.”
According to Schroder, affected workers will receive severance pay, subsidized health benefits and professional reemployment help.
The theme park industry is one of the sectors most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Comcast reported first-quarter earnings for 2020 that showed theme park revenue had decreased 31.9 percent to $869 million.
