Pfizer has announced a new round of layoffs at its facilities in Rocky Mount and Sanford, prompting worry about the effect on workers, families and local economies across eastern and central North Carolina.
The company notified employees of the cuts on Tuesday. It did not say how many positions will be eliminated, when the layoffs will take place, or which departments will be affected.
The news caught many local leaders off guard, including officials in Nash County, where Pfizer runs one of its largest manufacturing sites. David Farris, president and CEO of the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce, said the impact on families is a central concern. "If indeed this happens, it's going to affect those families," Farris said. "To what degree it affects local economies depends on the number that are laid off in Rocky Mount or the twin county area."
The two sites serve different roles in the company's operations. The Rocky Mount facility is a major sterile injectable manufacturing site, while the Sanford operation focuses on vaccines and advanced biologics manufacturing, including gene therapies.
In a statement provided to Eyewitness News, Pfizer described the job reductions as part of a wider push to improve efficiency. "We've conducted a series of these evaluations focused on operational efficiencies, and headcount reductions are a part of this initiative," the company said. "Pfizer does not take these changes lightly. Our colleagues are our top priority, and we are committed to keeping them informed throughout the process and providing them with support services."
The company offered no further detail on the scope of the layoffs.
Large layoffs typically lead an employer to file a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, known as a WARN notice, with the state. Those filings commonly list the number of affected employees, their job classifications and the expected layoff dates. As of Wednesday afternoon, no WARN notice tied to the Pfizer announcement had been filed with the state.
That gap has left local officials and employees waiting to learn how many workers could lose their jobs and what the wider economic consequences might be. For now, community leaders say the biggest worry is the uncertainty facing employees and their families.
