DUNCAN, Okla. (KFOR) – Officials with Halliburton say more layoffs are coming for Oklahomans working at the company’s Duncan campus just three days after shutting down their El Reno location “due to local market conditions.”
No official number has been given for the reduction in force at this time.
Although the company said Tuesday that it would be moving most of its Oklahoma operations to the Duncan site and offered some El Reno employees the chance to relocate, the company says a RIF is unavoidable.
“We value every employee, but unfortunately we are faced with the difficult reality that reductions are necessary as we work to align our operations to reduced customer activity,” said Erin Fuchs with External Affairs.
On Monday, oil giant Halliburton announced they plan to close their El Reno operation, leaving 808 people without jobs.
El Reno Mayor Matt White tells News 4 the possibility of shutting down was on their radar, but it’s something no one can prepare for.
“We held back on our budget to flatline what we did the year before, because of we saw the decline in the oilfield and everything else. So we wanted to try to not be completely dependent on the oil business,” he said.
White also expects a domino effect for others.
“They do a lot of shopping in our shops, a lot of eating in our restaurants. It’s going to be dramatic for our sales tax,” he said.
Halliburton released the following statement on Tuesday:
“Halliburton confirms it is relocating the majority of its operations in El Reno to its Duncan field camp in December. We made this decision in response to reduced activity levels in Oklahoma and the greater Mid-Continent area. Consolidating our operations takes advantage of Halliburton’s extensive footprint and synergies in the Duncan area including a strong employee hub and manufacturing expertise.
While the majority of employees were offered relocation, Halliburton also reduced its workforce in El Reno. Making this decision was not easy, nor taken lightly, but unfortunately, it was necessary as we work to align our operations to reduced customer activity.”