SeaWorld Entertainment will permanently lay off some of its employees who have been furloughed for months. The company revealed the decision yesterday, 4th September, in a Security and Exchange Commission filing.
SeaWorld said in the filing that it would change the status of some park and corporate employees from furloughed to a “permanent layoff” because of the “unforeseeable impacts” that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on its business.
The company, which has parks in Florida, Texas, and California, didn’t reveal how many workers or which parks would be affected by the layoffs. In a statement sent to Spectrum News, SeaWorld said:
“We deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication of our Ambassadors to our company’s shared mission, values, and goals. Over our 60-year history, our parks have inspired millions of guests to love, protect and care for our planet’s animals and their habitats. We are sorry to have to part ways with any team members in this difficult moment, but their abiding commitment to our guests, fellow Ambassadors and animals is recognised and made a lasting impact.”
Back in mid-March, SeaWorld shut down its parks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the weeks that followed, the company furloughed 95 percent of its staff. Several months later, SeaWorld was able to reopen its parks in Orlando and Tampa (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay) in a limited capacity, bringing back many works, but some still remained on unpaid furlough.
In SeaWorld’s most recent earnings, the company reported a net loss of $131 million dollars during the month the parks were closed. This latest round of layoffs comes as SeaWorld tries to recover from revenue and attendance losses.
H/T Spectrum News
