California-based RAND Corp. cuts 11% of its workforce

"RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank highly dependent on federal government funding, shed more than 11% of its global workforce on Tuesday, Oct. 21, a spokesman for the nonprofit said late Monday. Just under a third of the layoffs are effective Nov. 2 at the nonprofit's headquarters, according to a filing with the state's Employment Development Department. The layoffs were first mentioned publicly by RAND on career networking website LinkedIn."

"RAND spokesman Jeremy Rawitch confirmed the layoffs but did not provide a reason for them, or specify how many jobs were cut and where. According to RAND's 2023 tax documents, the nonprofit employed 2,396 people in more than 50 countries, suggesting the layoffs could have surpassed 260 people. The company hiring in recent years was up 8.3% from 2,211 people employed in 2021, according to tax filings obtained from Guidestar, an online database that tracks nonprofits."

"RAND made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce its workforce by returning to staffing levels of a few years ago, according to a statement provided by Rawitch to the Southern California News Group. RAND remains firmly committed to the quality and objectivity that define our research, and our work for clients and sponsors continues uninterrupted, Rawitch said. We are providing support to affected colleagues and are grateful for their many contributions to our mission."

RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based think tank reliant on federal funding, reduced more than 11% of its global workforce on Oct. 21. Just under a third of those layoffs become effective Nov. 2 at the Santa Monica headquarters. The spokesman confirmed the cuts but did not provide a reason or full job counts. RAND employed 2,396 people in 2023 across more than 50 countries, suggesting the reductions could exceed 260 positions. A filing with the Employment Development Department reports 72 layoffs at the Santa Monica office and one earlier layoff on Oct. 17 due to lack of work. The action is described as permanent and as aligning resources with changes in the broader research environment.

Read at www.dailynews.com