BusinessWednesday, November 11
Boeing will cut about 5% of its commercial airplane workforce and slow its production ramp
The Daily Tacoma team
If you work at Boeing, or know someone who does, here's what we know. Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Stephanie Pope told employees in an email Monday that the 5% cut will be a mix of layoffs and attrition. KNKX also reported the plan, citing The Seattle Times.
Boeing had nearly 182,000 employees as of December 2025
Source: The Seattle Times
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Companywide | 182K |
| In Washington | 65,000 |
| Commercial airplanes | 50,500 |
Pope said Boeing needs to “reset the pace of our production rate ramps” to give its factories and suppliers “time to achieve stability.” Executives have recently cautioned that the company is struggling to raise 737 MAX output.
- Notices: affected employees hear in December
- Layoff count: not yet clear
- Union talks: SPEEA meets Boeing leadership next week
Boeing's cut comes as it slows a planned 737 MAX ramp
- 5%
- of the commercial airplane workforce, through layoffs and attrition
- 42 to 47
- 737 MAX planes a month in the planned rate hike
Sources: KNKX, The Seattle Times
“Adjusting our production schedules and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position,” Pope wrote. It's also not clear how the cuts will affect Boeing's Puget Sound factories, where it assembles most of its commercial aircraft.
Sources: KNKX, The Seattle Times