California laboratory to cut 376 jobs amid loss of government contract

CALIFORNIA — HRL Laboratories announced February 3 that it will lay off 376 employees due to the anticipated termination of a government program.

The layoffs are scheduled to take effect April 3, 2026.

HRL says the layoffs will impact its Malibu headquarters and five Southern California satellite campuses.

According to its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter, employees affected by the layoff include engineers, scientists, project managers, analysts, and technicians.

The California Employment Development Department (EDD) requires companies to file a WARN notice when 50 or more workers are affected within a 30-day period.

The company noted that it may close one of its satellite campuses and relocate staff to the Malibu headquarters or another satellite campus.

Recent lab layoffs in California

HRL Laboratories works on advanced science and technology, including 3D printing metal parts, quantum computing, and microfabricated components for aerospace and defense.

The company, partly owned by General Motors and Boeing, develops technology for cars, planes, and government-funded defense projects.

HRL directed affected employees to the local workforce development board for job placement assistance and CalFresh for food support.

Other recent lab and research layoffs in California include NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, where about 550 jobs were cut in October 2025 as part of a workforce realignment.

In South San Francisco, biotech giant Genentech announced layoffs of more than 100 employees at its South San Francisco campus in late 2025, continuing a series of workforce reductions at the company.

Foster City-based biopharmaceutical company Geron Corporation announced on December 11, 2025, it will cut roughly one-third (85–87) of its 260-person workforce in a restructuring to reduce 2026 expenses.

Former engineer sentenced to 46 months in prison

The HRL layoffs are unrelated to a separate 2025 trade-secret case in which former engineer Chenguang Gong was sentenced to 46 months in prison for stealing proprietary missile-detection technology from HRL, BAE Systems, and Texas Instruments.