Amgen plans to shuffle and cut hundreds of jobs
Hundreds of Amgen employees in Thousand Oaks will relocate to other cities or change jobs, and some will be laid off, the biotech giant has said.
The company sent an announcement to staff last week, saying that it notified almost 500 people about “changes to their roles” over the next year and a half.
However, Amgen spokeswoman Kristen Davis said in an email that the actual number of employees departing Amgen will be “significantly below this by the completion of the transition,” as some will relocate and others will change jobs in Thousand Oaks.
Amgen plans to relocate about 50 people from Thousand Oaks to Tampa, Fla., to join the company’s new capability center there. That center is set to open in October and will provide business services, such as staff and business support.
“By bringing these services together under one roof, the center creates the opportunity to improve collaboration, share best practices, innovate and streamline in a more competitive way,” Amgen said in a statement.
Amgen said it expects to have about 450 employees at the Tampa facility.
In addition, Amgen said it plans to shuffle employees in the company’s Discovery Research and Translational Sciences sector to “optimize” its geographic footprint. More than 100 people in that Thousand Oaks department will be affected.
The company said “some” staff members were given the option of relocating to Cambridge, Mass., or San Francisco, while others will continue to work for Amgen “for varying lengths of time while we make this transition.”
Amgen said affected employees that are eligible to apply for other roles in the company can do so.
Thousand Oaks, where the company is based, will still be an “important research site” for the company, Amgen said. There are 5,500 Amgen employees in Thousand Oaks.
Last month, Amgen Chief Executive Robert Bradway told President Trump that the company planned to add 1,600 jobs. That hiring increase is expected to occur this year.
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