PORTLAND — Intel has notified Oregon officials that it plans to lay off nearly 800 workers in the Portland suburbs.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker announced last week it is shedding 12,000 jobs worldwide, part of a restructuring caused by declining personal computer sales.
Intel is Oregon’s largest private employer, with 19,500 workers in Washington County.
State law requires employers to give advance warning before a plant closing or mass layoff.
The Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development said Tuesday it received the warning from Intel. The company said in its letter to the agency that it is firing 784 workers.
The affected workers will be told by Friday that their last day will be May 31. Intel’s notice said laid-off employees will then get an additional six weeks of pay and three months of health insurance.
Intel said the layoffs are permanent and the workers will not be recalled to work.
Most of Oregon’s Intel employees work in Hillsboro about a 30-minute drive from downtown Portland.
Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey noted that before the layoffs, Intel had boosted its employment in the area by 2,000 workers since 2014.
“We understand how difficult this decision is for all parties,” Willey said. “We are hopeful that Intel’s decision to restructure its organization to position itself for future success will ultimately lead to additional investment and employment opportunities here in Hillsboro and Washington County.”
Pending closures include Intel’s site in DuPont, near Olympia. Timing of the closures is not clear, and it’s not clear if employees at that facility will have an option to relocate.
“Intel has informed us that they will be closing their operations in DuPont. I do not have a precise timeline yet,” Mayor Mike Courts wrote in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Other sources indicated the site may stay open for up to a year.
The DuPont site opened in 1996 and was built to accommodate 3,000 workers. Intel had about 310 employees in DuPont after transferring 350 workers in 2013 — many of them to Hillsboro. It’s not clear how many remain there now.
Intel also has large campuses in Arizona, California and New Mexico, and facilities in countries including Israel and China.
Intel told California officials Monday that it was terminating 565 workers in that state.
Your tax-deductible donation to The Columbian’s Community Funded Journalism program will contribute to better local reporting on key issues, including homelessness, housing, transportation and the environment. Reporters will focus on narrative, investigative and data-driven storytelling.
Local journalism needs your help. It’s an essential part of a healthy community and a healthy democracy.
