Boeing is cutting about 5% of the workforce at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, its passenger and cargo jet unit, through a mix of attrition and involuntary layoffs, with the first notices going out in December 2026. The company has not given a job count. The unit had 50,494 employees at the end of 2025, so 5% works out to roughly 2,500 jobs. Boeing says it is overstaffed because the 737 MAX production ramp is moving more slowly than planned.[1][2][5]
 | |
| Announced | November 9, 2026 (internal memo) |
|---|---|
| Announced by | Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes |
| Size | About 5% of the unit's workforce |
| Estimated jobs | About 2,500 (5% of 50,494; Boeing has not given a number) |
| Method | Attrition and involuntary layoffs |
| Notices | From December 2026 |
| Reason given | Slower 737 MAX and 787 production ramps |
| Unions | SPEEA meets Boeing on November 19 |
| Previous cut | About 10% of all staff (about 17,000), announced October 2024 |
What Boeing announced
On Monday, November 9, Stephanie Pope, who runs Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), told employees in a memo that the unit would shrink by about 5%. "Adjusting our production schedules and reducing aircraft output puts us in an overstaffed position," she wrote. "Unfortunately, that means we need to align our staffing levels to our revised business plan, resulting in a reduction of approximately 5% through a combination of attrition and involuntary layoffs, with notifications beginning in December."[1][4]
Pope also wrote that Boeing needs to "reset the pace of our production rate ramps to provide our factories and supply chain partners additional time to achieve stability".[2][6] She said the company had made real progress on safety and quality, including certification of the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10, but had "not yet fully recovered".[4][5]
Affected workers will get career transition services, layoff benefits and support through Boeing's Employee Assistance Program, according to the memo.[5]
How many Boeing jobs are being cut?
Boeing has not published a number, so every figure you see is an estimate. The math is simple. Boeing's own employment data lists 50,494 people in Commercial Airplanes in December 2025, out of 181,984 across the whole company.[7] Five percent of 50,494 is 2,525, which is why KIRO 7 and HRD America both put the cut at about 2,500 jobs.[2][6]
Two things could move that number. First, the headcount has changed since December 2025, and KOMO describes the unit as about 50,000 people.[5] Second, part of the 5% will come from attrition, meaning open jobs left unfilled and people who leave on their own. Nobody knows the split yet. Scott Hamilton of the Leeham Company told KIRO 7 he expects it to be "heavily weighted toward the involuntary layoffs".[2]
For scale, the cut is about 1.4% of Boeing's total workforce (2,525 out of 181,984). Defense, Space & Security and Global Services are not part of this announcement.[7]
Who is affected: Seattle, Renton, Everett and beyond
Boeing has not said which locations, job types or divisions will be hit.[2][5] What is known is where Commercial Airplanes does its work. The 737 MAX is built in Renton, Washington, and since July 2026 also on a new "North Line" in Everett, Washington. The 787 Dreamliner is built in North Charleston, South Carolina.[8][1]
Washington is by far Boeing's biggest base. Across all units, the company had 65,024 employees there in December 2025, compared with 9,059 in South Carolina and 13,425 in Kansas.[7] That is why local outlets in the Puget Sound area are asking how many of the cuts will land there.[2]
Washington State's Employment Security Department publishes every WARN notice it receives, with the employer, location, effective date and number of workers.[10] If Boeing files notices for the Puget Sound area in December, that database is where the first hard numbers are likely to show up.
Why Boeing is cutting jobs now
The short answer is wings. On its third-quarter earnings call on October 27, CEO Kelly Ortberg said it was "taking us longer than we had expected to demonstrate performance at rate 47", meaning 47 737s a month, and that wing production in Renton was the pacing item.[8][6] Boeing now expects to be stable at 47 a month in early 2027, later than its earlier plan, and to reach 52 a month in the second half of 2027.[1][3][6]
Other programmes are slow too. The 787 line has been steady at eight a month, with engine supply and seat certification holding back the step to 10.[8][6] A parts dispute with a supplier has also disrupted 777 freighter work in Everett, according to Reuters reporting carried by KIRO 7.[3]
A slower ramp means Boeing hired for a production rate it will not reach until later. In Pope's words, lower output "puts us in an overstaffed position".[1][2] There is also a regulatory step. The FAA capped 737 output at 38 a month after the January 2024 door-plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 and allowed Boeing past that cap in October 2025.[8] Hamilton told KOMO that to get to 52 a month, Boeing has to show the FAA it can hold 47, "which Boeing has admitted it has been unable to do".[5]
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 2024 | Door plug blows out on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9; the FAA later caps 737 output at 38 a month[8] |
| October 2024 | Ortberg announces a cut of about 10% of Boeing's global workforce, about 17,000 jobs[5][6] |
| October 2025 | FAA lets Boeing go past 38 737s a month[8] |
| October 27, 2026 | Q3 results: 737 targets for 2026 missed, rate 52 pushed to the second half of 2027; shares fall about 10%[3][8] |
| November 9, 2026 | Pope memo: about 5% of Commercial Airplanes to go[1][4] |
| November 19, 2026 | SPEEA meets Boeing leadership about the cuts[9][2] |
| December 2026 | First layoff notices[1][5] |
| Second half of 2027 | Target: 52 737s a month[1][5] |
What it means for Boeing workers
- Notice period. The federal WARN Act requires covered employers to give 60 calendar days' written notice before mass layoffs. If notices go out in early December, the first exits would come no earlier than late January 2027. Boeing has not said when people will actually leave the payroll.[6][11]
- Severance. The 2026 terms have not been published. In the 2024 round, most laid-off staff stayed on payroll for about two months and received severance, career transition help and subsidised health insurance for up to three months, the AP reported at the time.[6]
- Unions. SPEEA, the union for Boeing engineers and technical staff, says it has a meeting with Boeing leadership on November 19 to find out how the cuts will affect its members.[9][2] Leeham News notes that Boeing and SPEEA agreed a new four-year contract earlier in 2026, avoiding a strike.[4]
- Open enrollment. SPEEA notes that Boeing's annual benefits open enrollment runs until Friday, November 20, the one time a year represented staff can make routine changes to health and dental plans.[9]
Boeing job cuts: 2024 vs 2026
This round is much smaller than the last one. In October 2024, after a machinists' strike and heavy losses, Ortberg announced a cut of about 10% of the global workforce, roughly 17,000 jobs.[5][2] The 2026 cut covers only Commercial Airplanes and uses attrition as well as layoffs.[1]
Boeing's finances and the stock
Boeing lost $116 million in the third quarter of 2026 on revenue of $24.2 billion, up 4% from a year earlier.[3][8] The commercial unit's revenue fell 3% to $10.72 billion and it posted a $697 million operating loss, Leeham News reported.[8] The company does not expect to hit $10 billion in free cash flow until 2029.[6][8]
Investors reacted badly to the slower ramp. Boeing shares fell 10.7% on October 27 to $168.07, their worst day in more than 18 months, according to Reuters figures cited by KIRO 7; Leeham also reported a drop of more than 10%.[3][8] This page explains the news and is not investment advice.
Demand is not the problem. Boeing had a backlog of more than 6,300 commercial aircraft at the end of September.[8] The bottleneck is building them. For more on the US economy this week, see our guide to the October 2026 US CPI release and why gas prices fell below $4 a gallon. Another big US manufacturer is also scaling back a product line: see Tesla ending Cybertruck production.
What to watch
- November 19: what SPEEA learns from its meeting with Boeing.[9]
- December: the first notices, and any WARN filings in Washington, South Carolina or other states that give real numbers by site.[10]
- Early 2027: whether the 737 line holds 47 a month, which Boeing needs before it can move to 52.[5][6]
- Risk to the recovery: Hamilton told KIRO 7 the cuts risk pushing the recovery out "at least a year".[2]
Frequently asked questions
Is Boeing laying off workers in 2026?
Yes. Boeing Commercial Airplanes plans to reduce its workforce by about 5% through attrition and involuntary layoffs, with notices starting in December 2026.[1][5]
How many jobs is Boeing cutting?
Boeing has not said. Based on 50,494 Commercial Airplanes employees in December 2025, 5% is about 2,500 jobs.[7][2]
When will Boeing layoff notices go out?
Notifications begin in December 2026.[1][4] With 60 days' WARN notice, the first departures would be in late January 2027 at the earliest.[6]
Are Boeing's Seattle-area jobs affected?
Boeing has not said which locations are affected. Washington, home to the Renton 737 factory and Everett, is where Boeing employs the most people.[2][7]
Why is Boeing cutting jobs if demand is strong?
Because it is building planes more slowly than planned, mainly due to 737 wing production, so it has more staff than its revised plan needs.[1][8]
Is this bigger than the 2024 Boeing layoffs?
No. The 2024 cut was about 10% of the whole company, roughly 17,000 jobs. This one is about 5% of one unit.[5][6]
References
- "Boeing to cut 5% of commercial airplane workers as production increase takes longer than expected". CNBC. November 9, 2026.
- "Boeing to cut 5% of commercial airplane workforce as production ramp slows". KIRO 7 News Seattle. November 9, 2026.
- "Boeing to cut commercial airplane workforce by about 5% amid production setbacks". KIRO 7 with MyNorthwest. November 9, 2026.
- "Boeing Plans to Cut 5% of Commercial Workforce". Leeham News and Analysis. November 9, 2026.
- "Boeing to cut about 5% of commercial airplane workforce; notices start in December". Joel Moreno, KOMO News. November 9, 2026.
- "Boeing layoffs to hit 5% of commercial airplane staff in December". HRD America. November 9, 2026.
- "General information: Employment data, December 2025". The Boeing Company. Accessed November 10, 2026.
- "Wings Still Pacing Boeing's 737 Max Production Rate Increases". Leeham News and Analysis. October 27, 2026.
- "Boeing Commercial layoff announcement". SPEEA, IFPTE Local 2001. November 9, 2026.
- "Worker adjustment and retraining notification (WARN) layoff and closure database". Washington State Employment Security Department. Accessed November 10, 2026.
- "Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)". US Department of Labor. Accessed November 10, 2026.