Battelle Memorial Institute, the government contractor responsible for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), is announcing layoffs affecting 68 employees across various sites in the Pacific Northwest, primarily in Washington state. The news was revealed through a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing submitted to the state’s Employment Security Department. The affected positions are scheduled to conclude between November 18th and December 1st.
In the WARN letter, Battelle cited ‘unforeseen business circumstances’ as the reason for not providing 60-day notices to impacted workers. The company explained that funding uncertainties and evolving federal mission priorities led to this decision. Battelle attempted to mitigate the situation by reassigning work, reducing employee hours, and utilizing furlough status, hoping for additional funding to materialize. However, a workforce restructuring and subsequent staff reduction were deemed necessary across both research and operational areas.
Of the 68 employees impacted, 42 are based at PNNL’s main campus in Richland, Washington; three are located in Seattle; three in Oregon; and 20 are working remotely. PNNL, a 60-year-old institution managed by the U.S. Department of Energy, employed approximately 6,400 individuals last year. The laboratories conduct fundamental research in fields such as energy, chemistry, data analytics, and other scientific and technological disciplines.
These layoffs follow a previous reduction in staff announced this summer, with Battelle citing budget uncertainty. In September, the company also reduced medical benefits for retirees, as reported by the Tri-City Herald. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., previously reported in February that a small number of PNNL employees were affected during the Trump administration’s initial government workforce reductions. These cuts were linked to initiatives like the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), previously led by Elon Musk, and executive orders related to climate change and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Affected employees held roles including national security specialist, software, mechanical, nuclear or systems engineer, cybersecurity researcher, data scientist, project manager, administrative coordinator, and other similar positions.