Chandler leadership responds to recent layoffs

​In light of a dearth of private-sector layoffs at Chandler companies, the city of Chandler recently issued a statement.

“It is unfortunate anytime a Chandler or neighboring resident loses their job. Our Economic Development team has been busy with several activities to aid job seekers,” the city’s economic development director, Micah Miranda, said in a recent statement emailed to the Chandler Independent.

Miranda made his statement soon after Northrup Grumman and Panera both filed layoff notices with the Arizona Department of Economic Security. A third firm, Titan Solar, announced it was ceasing operations after failing to close on a sale of the company, according to multiple media reports.

Northrup Grumman, an aerospace company that has its name on multiple buildings in Chandler and in many other places, told DES it could lay off as many as 543 employees.
Panera will permanently close a dough-making facility in west Chandler on Aug. 15, resulting in 64 layoffs.

Titan Solar’s closure impacts an unclear number of employees. One report showed there were 226 employees at the company headquarters in Mesa before it was relocated to Chandler last year; multiple reports show the solar installer had more than 600 employees working in 16 states.

Miranda said there are several options for employees who were let go or who have been informed about their jobs ending soon. These include:

-The city collaborates here with regional workforce development partners such as Arizona@Work, to host in-person hiring events. One of these events was scheduled for July 17 at a Chandler hotel.

-Northrop Grumman employees will be invited to attend previously planned virtual and in-person hiring events held by Arizona@Work. Miranda said the first of those happened on June 26 at the Mesa East Valley Career Center.

-The city has published a blog featuring 45 “industry-leading” companies looking to fill nearly 1,394 jobs that align with affected positions/employees.
That blog can be found here .

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic.  Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org . Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org .