NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cuts Another 5 Percent of Workforce

In a statement to employees, JPL said it cut 325 employees, or about 5 percent of its workforce, across almost all areas of the laboratory, including technical, project, business, and support teams. The layoffs, which JPL said are necessary to stick to its fiscal year 2025 budget allocation, follow a headcount reduction of 530 employees in February. The lab has now cut about 13 percent of its personnel in 2024.

“Despite this being incredibly difficult for our community, this number is lower than projected a few months ago thanks in part to the hard work of so many people across JPL,” said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL, in a memo to employees Tuesday. “The workforce assessment conducted as part of this process has been both extensive and thorough, and although we can never have perfect insight into the future, I sincerely believe that after this action we will be at a more stable workforce level moving forward.”

Leshin said she discussed the potential for a second round of layoffs with employees at a previous JPL town hall, warning that budget considerations could force another cut. In her memo, Leshin thanked laid-off personnel for their contributions and explained the headcount reduction would happen regardless of the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

“With lower budgets and based on the forecasted work ahead, we had to tighten our belts across the board, and you will see that reflected in the layoff impacts,” Leshin said.

Employees on Wednesday were required to work from home and attend a virtual meeting with Leshin and Leslie Livesay, deputy director of JPL, to go over the layoff process. Affected personnel will be notified by email throughout the day and will have the opportunity to discuss benefits and other assistance.

Leshin predicted the workforce reduction, which leaves JPL with about 5,500 employees, would be the last for the laboratory “in the foreseeable future.”

“This may not help much in this difficult moment, but I do want to be crystal clear with my thoughts and perspective,” Leshin said. “If we hold strong together, we will come through this, just as we have done during other turbulent times in JPL’s nearly 90-year history.”

The JPL layoffs are one of the immediate ripple effects of NASA’s 2025 budget allocation, and they may not be the last.

The Viper lunar rover, canceled in July, was another early casualty. Already, the space agency is calling on commercial firms to lend a hand with the Mars Sample Return program, which aims to return Martian samples to Earth in the early 2030s. Budget constraints could force NASA to ax other programs, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a powerful telescope that has been in orbit for 25 years.

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