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California Medtech Layoffs Approach 1200
Nancy Crotti
October 15, 2015
2 Min Read
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Medical device companies--including some big names--have laid off nearly 1200 workers in California since July, according to a report by that state's Employment Development Department.
Nancy Crotti
It's been a rough couple of months for many California-based medical device employees. Since the summer, the Golden State has lost scores of workers from its hubs in Southern and Northern California, including the following:
Alphatec Spine cut 99 workers from Carlsbad facility in early July.Boston Scientific slashed 284 positions in Fremont and another 171 in San Jose, both in late July.
Abbott eliminated 81 jobs at its Abbott Vascular operation in Santa Clara and another 163 at an Abbott Vascular plant in Temecula, also in late July.
Becton Dickinson & Co. chopped 71 positions at new subsidiary CareFusion's San Diego base on September 30.
Zimmer Biomet plans to cut 269 workers from its Zimmer Biomet Dental division in Carlsbad and 10 others from its Zimmer Biomet unit there on October 30.
Medtronic plans to eliminate 21 jobs at its Medtronic Distribution operation in Mira Loma, effective January 6, 2016.
The medtech industry may be losing jobs in the United States, but jobs are growing in other countries, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Major medical device companies have also shown interest in emerging markets, such as China and India. Some in the industry blame the 2.3% medical device excise tax, part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, for exacerbating the trend, although pricing pressures across the healthcare system is another factor.
Despite the recent and soon-to come layoffs, California dominates other U.S. states in medtech employment, with more than 60,000 workers. Minnesota comes in at a distant second at about 28,000, followed by Massachusetts with about 15,000. Check out this slideshow for a look at how nine other states size up.
Learn more about cutting-edge medical devices at Minnesota Medtech Week, November 4-5 in Minneapolis. |
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