400 people to be laid off at Boeing in Winnipeg in coming weeks

Boeing will lay off around 400 employees in Winnipeg over the next few weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson for the aerospace company says.

Employees at the company were told about the cuts on Friday, spokesperson Jessica Kowal said in a statement emailed to CBC News.

"Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boeing previously announced we would adjust the size of our company to reflect new market realities through a combination of voluntary layoffs, natural turnover and involuntary layoffs," the statement said.

Kowal said the brunt of the cuts at Boeing are beingmade "in areas most exposed to the commercial aviation market as well as our corporate functions." She said Boeing's Winnipeg site mainly produces components for the company's commercial planes.

The cuts make up about one-quarterof the aerospace company's workforce in Winnipeg. According to Boeing's website, the company has around 1,600 employees in the city.