Pfizer Cuts NC Plant Jobs, Will Miss Job Goals for $19.1M Incentive

Pfizer is cutting jobs at its two large North Carolina manufacturing plants in Rocky Mount and Sanford. The company has not said how many people will lose their jobs. Public Radio East reported that Pfizer has told state officials it will not meet the job benchmarks tied to $19.1 million in state tax incentives.

What happened

Pfizer told employees at both sites about a new round of layoffs on Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to ABC11. The company did not give the number of positions, the timing or the departments affected.

In a statement to ABC11, Pfizer said it has run a series of evaluations focused on operational efficiency, and that headcount reductions are part of that work. The company said its colleagues are its top priority and that it is offering them support services.

Key details reported so far:

• Rocky Mount: a sterile injectable plant that employs more than 2,600 people, based on state records cited by Public Radio East.
• Sanford: a biologics site that employs roughly 1,200 people. ABC11 said it focuses on vaccines and advanced biologics, including gene therapies.
• Incentives: Pfizer told the state it will fall short of the job benchmarks needed to claim $19.1 million in tax incentives under a 2021 economic development agreement, Public Radio East reported.
• Paperwork: As of Oct. 21, no WARN notice had been filed with the state, according to ABC11. Such notices usually list the number of workers affected and the layoff dates.

Why it matters

The North Carolina cuts are part of a wider pullback in Pfizer's manufacturing network. BioSpace reported that a Pfizer spokesperson confirmed layoffs across manufacturing operations without naming sites or numbers. The spokesperson said Pfizer regularly reviews its network to match capacity with patient needs and projected demand.

Other recent cuts tracked by BioSpace include about 150 jobs at Pfizer's plant in Portage, Michigan, which Pfizer linked to lower projected demand for some products. Reuters reported, citing trade unions, that about 330 jobs will go in Sicily, Italy.

Pfizer added $2.5 billion to its cost savings target in August, BioSpace noted. Public Radio East described the North Carolina cuts as part of that plan. BioSpace said it is not known whether all of the recent cuts are tied to it.

What it means for people in the industry

Together the two plants employ about 3,800 people, based on the state records cited by Public Radio East. Until a WARN notice is filed, workers and local leaders do not know the scale of the cuts. David Farris, who leads the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce, told ABC11 the local impact depends on how many people are laid off.

Watch for the state WARN filing, which should show the number of jobs, the job types and the dates. It may also show whether the cuts fall mostly on sterile injectables at Rocky Mount or on biologics work at Sanford.

See open pharma jobs in the US and Canada

Sources

• Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer cutting jobs at manufacturing plants in Rocky Mount and Sanford, Public Radio East
• Pfizer announces layoffs at NC facilities, leaving workers and local leaders seeking answers, ABC11
• Layoff Tracker: Tango plans 14% workforce cut, mainly of research staff, BioSpace