One of Monroe County’s major employers, Catalent, will lay off 150 employees this week.
In an email to employees Wednesday, the pharmaceutical manufacturer said the layoffs would mostly be leadership and support positions.
The email from Bloomington Catalent General Manager Anibal Carlo said the company’s growth during the pandemic is not sustainable, and the layoffs are the result of restructuring.
The layoffs come after an announcement from the company in April that “higher than expected costs” and productivity challenges at facilities, including the one in Bloomington, would hurt company earnings.
Read more: Catalent financial woes due to inefficiencies at facilities at facilities, including Bloomington
It was just last year in April Catalent announced a $350 million expansion of its Bloomington plant, after the city granted it a 20-year tax abatement. The company added more than one thousand jobs during the pandemic.
Catalent cut 400 Bloomington jobs in November and 204 temporary positions last summer.
At the time of the tax abatement, Catalent said 52 percent of its more than 3,200 employees were Monroe County residents. The City of Bloomington estimated that with approximately 2,550 Catalent employees now, about 1,325 are Monroe County residents.
A Catalent spokesperson said in an email that the Bloomington facility played a critical role in producing vaccines and therapies for public health response during the pandemic. But as the pandemic has receded, global demand for vaccines has declined.
The spokesperson's email said Bloomington facility remains a critical part of Catalent operations.
