Feld Entertainment cancels all of its shows, begins layoffs as COVID-19 pandemic worsens
Feld Entertainment said Friday that it has been forced to make layoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Over the past few weeks the world has been racing to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. This has resulted in unprecedented and widespread government-mandated closures of public gatherings that has forced us to shut down all Feld Entertainment tours. Although we hope to resume operations soon, there is no assurance of when that will happen. Therefore, we had to make difficult decisions to reduce the size of our workforce through companywide layoffs,” Stephen C. Yaros said in an email.
The layoffs represent another body blow to the Bradenton-area economy, already reeling from the downturn in tourism.
With thousands of employees. Feld reaches 30 million people in 75 countries on six continents, with as many as 5,000 shows each year.
Feld, based in Palmetto, did not provide any information on the number of layoffs.
Jobless claims are surging in the Bradenton area and the rest of Florida as the COVID-19 pandemic crisis deepens.
While figures are not yet available, CareerSource Suncoast had 208 job seekers register on Thursday, compared to 20 on the same day last week.
“That’s specifically for Manatee and Sarasota counties combined. Anyone filing for unemployment must register in employflorida.com, Jen Zak, communications director for CareerSource Suncoast., said in a text.
“The job figures for January came out last week and covered January, and the next report is released on 3/27 (but won’t provide much insight on our present situation since it only covers February),” Zak said.
Prior to the pandemic, Florida’s unemployment rate was 3.1 percent.
Heavily reliant on tourism, Florida’s workforce is taking a fearsome beating as hotels, restaurants, and others close against the pandemic.
In Florida, there are a total of 747,705 hotel supported jobs. This means an estimated 305,146 employees are facing potential job loss., according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
“Everything is canceling. We have a 28 percent occupancy and we are trying to figure out how to staff. We don’t know where the bottom is,” one Bradenton area hotel insider told the Herald on Wednesday.
For information on filing an unemployment claim, visit the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity web site at http://www.floridajobs.org.
In light of ongoing concerns posed by the coronavirus, CareerSource Suncoast has closed its career centers in Manatee and Sarasota counties. All in-person events – including job fairs, network meetings, training and workshops – have been postponed until further notice.
Workshops, job search and one-on-one career coaching are now available in an online virtual environment and over the phone. Job seekers and employers are asked to call CareerSource Suncoast at 941-358-4200 to review available options.
“We’re open for business, just open differently,” Ted Ehrlichamn, CareerSource Suncoast president and CEO, said in a press release. “It’s our commitment to the community to help flatten the curve and prevent our healthcare system from being overrun while maintaining continuity of business operations and serving our clients the best we can under these conditions.”
Updates and resources for individuals and businesses are located at careersourcesuncoast.com/coronavirus. Clients looking to file for unemployment must do so online at connect.myflorida.com or call 800-204-2418 for assistance
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 12:27 PM.
