Orange County

Universal Orlando notifies more than 1,100 employees that they’ll be laid off by the end of the year

ORLANDO, Fla. — Universal Orlando Resort notified more than 1,100 employees that they will be laid off before the end of the year.

According to paperwork filed with the state, the company notified 1,123 workers that they will lose their jobs before Dec. 31.

READ: Disney World officially notifies more than 11,300 employees that they’ll be laid off this year

The filing says that none of the layoffs include park hourly positions.

According to the documents, the layoffs do impact employees who worked in the company’s creative division and executive offices.

The company said a full recovery will take time, so they “had to make very difficult decisions... including reducing some of its workforce.”

READ: Universal Orlando announces holiday events with social distancing

The news comes as more than 700,000 new unemployment claims were filed last week nationwide.

Layoffs have been common in the theme park industry since the pandemic began. Walt Disney World let go of roughly 18,000 employees in Central Florida. SeaWorld laid off close to 2,000 people, and Universal placed more than 5,000 workers on extended furlough.

READ: Park hopping returns to Walt Disney World in January

“Many segments of our industry are in dire straits,” theme park expert Duncan Dickson said.

The Universal layoffs follow the company’s announcement that construction of their third theme park, Epic Universe, would be delayed.

Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates.


Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.