(Bloomberg) -- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is laying off about 325 employees, or 5% of its workforce, as the California-based research and development center deals with funding challenges for the upcoming year.
“With lower budgets and based on the forecasted work ahead, we had to tighten out belts across the board and you will see that reflected in the layoff impacts,” Laurie Leshin, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, wrote in a memo sent to employees Tuesday.
A representative from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory didn’t immediately respond for a request for comment.
The layoffs will be spread across the technical, project, business and support areas, the laboratory said. In February, the laboratory had also cut 8% of its workforce to meet NASA’s guidance for a 2024 budget, even after implementing a hiring freeze and reducing contracts.
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--With assistance from Loren Grush.
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