More job losses appear to be on the cards at US meat giant Tyson Foods.
Tyson is reportedly planning to lay-off workers at its Wilkesboro plant in North Carolina because fewer workers are required to process the company’s fully cooked products, according to the WXII channel, an affiliate of national broadcaster NBC.
While WXII was not able to uncover exactly how many jobs would be lost, it said Tyson plans to assist affected staff to find other positions.
Meanwhile, the Wilkes Record newspaaper reported, quoting unnamed sources, that anywhere between 400 and 1,000 jobs could be cut at the Wilkesboro site.
The Fox 8 network also carried the report, and a statement from a Tyson spokesperson:
“Due to increasing demand, we are shifting production in our Wilkesboro, NC facility to support our Tyson fully cooked products. As a result of these process changes, fewer positions will be required in the facility," the statement said.
“Our priority is to help team members impacted by this change and we are working with them to offer other opportunities at Tyson Foods.”
Just Food has asked Arkansas-headquartered Tyson to confirm the plans and provide a comment.
The latest job loss news follows plans revealed in March to close a Tyson pork plant in Perry, Iowa.
A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice at the same said 1,276 positions would go as a result ahead of the June closure.
In November last year, Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm brands owner Tyson announced plans to shut two of its case-ready meat production facilities. The sites affected were in Jacksonville, Florida, and in Columbia, South Carolina.
Three months earlier, Tyson set out plans to close four domestic chicken factories in light of slowing demand and a drop in profits. The plants affected included two in Missouri and one each in Indiana and Arkansas.
In March 2023, Tyson said it would shut two poultry plants in Virginia and Arkansas, which, combined, employed more than 1,600 people.
Tyson issued its third-quarter results last week in which CEO Donny King noted a “turnaround” in the business as the company raised its outlook for operating profit.
Operating income of $341m compared to a loss of $350m a year earlier, while adjusted operating income of $491m was up 174% year-on-year.
Third-quarter sales of $13.35bn were up from $3.14bn a year earlier, beating analysts’ estimates of $13.24bn.
