Blue Shield of California is conducting a second round of layoffs this year, with 138 more employees being laid off in September.
The majority of the layoffs affect employees in Oakland and El Dorado, with the remaining cuts taking place in Long Beach, Woodland Hills, Rancho Cordova, San Diego, Lodi and Redding, according to regulatory documents filed with the state on July 15.
In May, the nonprofit insurer laid off 113 employees across the state.
“With members at the center of everything we do, ensuring we have the right roles, talent, skills, and capabilities in place to deliver on our mission is critical,” a spokesperson for Blue Shield told Becker’s. “At times, this means making the difficult decision to reduce our staff, which in this instance impacted less than 2% of our workforce. We are supporting those impacted in multiple ways, including through a program that allows them to stay on the job for up to 90 days. During this time, they’re encouraged to apply for internal jobs, are offered skills training activities with the support of a certified professional coach and receive additional severance benefits.”
