Walt Disney to lay off 32,000 workers as Covid-19 hits theme parks

Company had already announced 28,000 jobs cuts in September and warned that it could take additional measures in the future.

Guests stop to take a selfie at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort on July 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the first day of the theme park’s phased reopening. Picture: Getty Images

Walt Disney Co. is planning to layoff 32,000 employees, primarily at its theme parks, as the coronavirus continues to hit the entertainment company’s businesses hard.

Disney announced 28,000 job cuts in September and it expects to terminate its employees’ contracts in the first half of fiscal 2021.

Disney warned that it could take additional measures such as not declaring future dividends and either reducing or not making certain payments, such as contributions to its pension and postretirement medical plans.

Like many companies, Disney has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic that has seen governments around the world announcing lockdowns that have led to closure of leisure parks, cruise ships and movie halls. The U.S. is among the worst hit by the pandemic and it is unclear when the company will be able to reopen its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif. that has been closed since March.

It is unclear when the company will be able to reopen its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California that has been closed since March. Picture: AFP

In a filing late Wednesday, Disney said that it was considering additional measures such as suspending capital spending, reducing film and television content investments and implementing additional furloughs.

“Some of these measures may have an adverse impact on our businesses,” the company warned.

Disney announced earlier this month a second consecutive quarterly loss as the pandemic hit the company’s core businesses like theme parks and movie distribution. However, the company’s direct-to-consumer business has emerged as a bright spot: Subscriptions to Disney+ hit 73.7 million as of Oct. 3, up from more than 60 million reported in August.

Disney said it also plans to launch a general entertainment DTC video streaming-offering under the Star brand outside the U.S. in calendar year 2021.

“With the unknown duration of Covid-19 and yet to be determined timing of the phased reopening of certain businesses, it is not possible to precisely estimate the impact of Covid-19 on our operations in future quarters,” the company said.

The Wall Street Journal