The pandemic is still taking a toll on the economy of Massachusetts, as at least 2,200 furloughs and permanent layoffs have been announced in the last two days.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst, which is staring down a $169 million projected budget deficit, has announced plans to put 850 workers on indefinite furlough starting Sept. 13, The Boston Globe reported. The furloughs affect 12% of the campus's employees, the paper reported.
Only around 1,100 students will be living on campus in Amherst this fall, compared with roughly 13,000 in a normal year.
Other major furloughs are planned at Cape Cod Healthcare and MGM Springfield. Cape Cod Healthcare, which owns Falmouth and Cape Cod (located in Hyannis) hospitals, won't be rehiring 118 workers currently on furlough. Of the 595 employees furloughed in May, the other 477 have since returned.
The casino is furloughing upwards of 1,000 employees, effective Aug. 31.
Through July, Massachusetts had a 16.1% unemployment rate, the highest in the US.
