Comcast to lay off 159 workers in Washington as part of nationwide restructuring

Comcast plans to permanently lay off about 159 Washington employees as the company restructures ahead of next year’s planned spinoff of its NBCUniversal businesses.

The cuts affect remote workers and employees at 10 regional offices across the state, according to a layoff notice Comcast filed Thursday with the Washington State Employment Security Department.

“Comcast is fundamentally redesigning our organization to build a more agile company and better serve our customers,” Senior Vice President Tuck Rainwater wrote. “These changes will help us accelerate innovation and compete more effectively in a rapidly changing industry.”

Where the cuts are happening

The notice lists Comcast offices in Bellingham, Bremerton, Everett (two locations), Olympia, Puyallup, Redmond, Seattle, Spokane and Vancouver. It doesn’t say how many of the 159 layoffs are at each office or how many are remote workers.

Comcast pointed out the cuts are not happening because work is being moved elsewhere or handed to contractors.

Affected employees have been or will be notified at least 60 days before their last day. Layoffs are expected to start Dec. 31. Some employees will be asked to stay into 2027 “where necessary to ensure business continuity,” with the last separation currently scheduled for March 26, 2027.

Which jobs are affected

A list attached to the notice shows the cuts reach across the company, from administrative assistants to vice presidents. Construction jobs are the largest group, including dozens of construction specialists, managers and permitting coordinators.

Other affected positions include fulfillment and customer experience supervisors, finance analysts, network technicians, engineers, project managers and sales staff. Two vice president jobs are on the list, one in human resources and one in government and regulatory affairs.

None of the affected employees are represented by a union, according to the notice.

Comcast says it’s hiring

Comcast said it will post more than 1,100 new jobs companywide and will work with affected employees on applying for those and other openings.

“Our hope is that many of the impacted employees will remain within the company and continue their careers with Comcast,” the company wrote.

Employees who don’t land another Comcast job and stay through their scheduled last day will receive severance.

A larger shake-up

The Washington layoffs follow reports that Comcast was preparing significant job cuts across its cable TV, broadband and wireless businesses. The restructuring is intended to put Comcast in a stronger position after it spins off its NBCUniversal businesses next year, according to Bloomberg.

On Comcast’s third-quarter earnings call last week, CFO Jason Armstrong said the company expects a restructuring charge of more than $1 billion in the fourth quarter. “We expect to have a significant charge in the fourth quarter related mostly to our transformation efforts,” Armstrong said, according to Variety.

The company has been losing broadband and cable TV customers. Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said on the call that its broadband business faces tough competition from fiber and fixed wireless providers.

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