BusinessWednesday, November 11
Boeing will cut about 5% of its commercial airplane workforce, with notices coming in December
The Daily Auburn team
Boeing told employees Monday that it will trim its commercial airplane workforce by about 5% and slow its production ramp-up. KNKX reports the cuts come next month, and FOX 13 says the move is an effort to recover from a record-breaking backlog and years of financial instability.
Boeing's new 5% cut follows a 10% cut in 2024
- 5%
- of the commercial airplane workforce will be cut
- nearly 50,500
- employees in commercial airplanes as of December 2025
- about 17,000
- employees affected by Boeing's 2024 cuts
Source: The Seattle Times
Stephanie Pope, who heads Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the company needs to “reset the pace of our production rate ramps.” In October, Boeing told analysts it would miss its 2026 737 MAX delivery target, citing its Renton wing shop, and MyNorthwest reports shares fell 10.7% on Oct. 27 after a third-quarter loss.
“Adjusting our production schedules and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position.”
- Cut: a mix of layoffs and attrition
- Notices to affected employees: December
- Total headcount: nearly 182,000 as of December 2025
- Monthly MAX production increase: not until mid-2027
Notices to affected Boeing employees will come in December
- 2024Boeing cut about 10% of its workforce, about 17,000 employees.
- Oct. 27Boeing shares fall 10.7% after a bigger-than-expected third-quarter loss.
- Nov. 9Stephanie Pope tells employees about the 5% cut.
- DecemberAffected employees will be notified.
- Mid-2027Boeing wouldn't increase monthly MAX production until then.
Sources: MyNorthwest.com, The Seattle Times
Sources: KNKX, FOX 13 Seattle, MyNorthwest.com, The Seattle Times