All articles tagged with #staffing
NBC's Saturday Night Live will not renew its contract with Brian Siedlecki, the show's longtime music booker who started as an intern in 1996 and booked musical guests since 2001; Keri Powers and Rebecca Schwartz remain in place, NBC declined to comment on staffing, and SNL's 52nd season premieres Sept. 26.
id Software’s Chris Hayes says it’s “impossible” to make triple-A games like 2016’s Doom with half the staff, arguing layoffs have gutted essential departments and that leadership doesn’t understand art or the business model; the piece also notes Microsoft’s Xbox reset cutting thousands of jobs and touches on unionisation talks and Game Pass economics.
Former CDC officials warn that funding and staffing cuts over the past year have weakened the US ability to prevent, detect, and halt infectious disease outbreaks—from cyclospora and hantavirus to measles and Ebola—as leadership gaps, reduced foreign aid funding, and unclear guidance hamper response, even as regional groups step in to fill the gaps.
The CDC has elevated its Ebola response to Level 1 due to a major outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, triggering round-the-clock staffing and a recruitment surge even as the agency warns the effort will last several months and require hard prioritization of program work. The push comes amid ongoing staffing and morale challenges from prior cuts, limited new hires, and a leadership slate heavy with acting officials; the agency is expanding the CDCReady Responder program, suspending post-deployment time-off awards, and pursuing a broader strategic plan to shore up long-term capacity.
Quantic Dream developers on strike warn that Star Wars Eclipse cannot be finished if the planned layoff of 115 workers who had been inactive on Spellcasters Chronicles proceeds, arguing the project is severely understaffed and that retaining these roles is essential to completion amid a wider industry crunch and the Chronicles closure.
Ubisoft is reassigning hundreds of staff away from Rainbow Six Siege at Ubisoft Montreal (about 120 developers, roughly 12%), plus around 50 off Rainbow Six Siege Mobile and an unannounced project. The moves are described as normal resource adjustments rather than outright layoffs, though officials did not rule out future cuts as projects evolve and priorities shift.
President Donald Trump said he wants his newly named acting director of national intelligence to cut staff at the DNI, signaling a push to shrink the U.S. intelligence apparatus as his administration reorganizes leadership.
A Guardian column highlights Panorama's exposé of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust's maternity unit, detailing years of alleged mistreatment and discriminatory attitudes toward patients, including cases where women were told to delay seeking care. The piece argues these failures stem from staffing shortages and austerity, which eroded compassionate, women-centered care, rather than malice, and stresses the need for adequate resources to restore trust and quality in maternity services.
As the 2026 hurricane season begins, FEMA faces its smallest disaster workforce since 2021, about a 20% drop since Trump took office, plus leadership vacancies and a backlog of state aid requests. Emergency managers warn this could weaken disaster response just as NOAA forecasts several tropical storms, while GAO cautions that staffing cuts could undermine readiness across FEMA and related agencies (EPA and the Army Corps). The administration and agency statements insist the system remains prepared, but critics say reforms are being pursued without strengthening staffing and funding.
Dallas’ search to replace Jason Kidd centers on five candidates: former Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, current Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Tiago Splitter (former interim Portland coach), Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley. The piece notes each candidate’s background and connections to the Mavericks’ organization, with Masai Ujiri’s star-studded track record keeping options open and no clear favorite yet.
The FAA cut its target for certified air-traffic controllers to 12,563 from 14,633 and says modern scheduling and workforce tools will cut overtime costs, which topped $200 million last year after 2.2 million overtime hours; about 11,000 controllers are deployed with 4,000 in training, while staffing shortfalls and a lagging scheduling software have hampered efficiency, contributing to six-day weeks and training losses during the shutdown.
The MCPS chief outlined potential staffing reductions as the district faces a budget shortfall; cuts could affect various departments and school-level support roles, with final decisions tied to the county budget recommendation and subsequent board actions, pending public input.
Interior Secretary Burgum told the House Appropriations Committee there are no plans for workforce reductions (RIFs) at the Interior Department after last fall signaled a plan to cut more than 2,000 jobs; a buyout/early retirement program has been completed and many RIF notices have been rescinded. Congress imposed guardrails in FY2026 to protect National Park Service staffing, noting parks’ popularity, while Burgum said the focus should be on filling public-facing park roles. The department is consolidating operations and moving wildland firefighting programs toward a broader consolidation with USDA’s Forest Service, with the FY2027 budget reflecting these reassignments; some NPS staff were remote and not park-facing, and transfers are within the budget rather than new cuts. This is a developing story.
Andon Labs in San Francisco allowed an AI agent named Luna to lease a store, handle branding, hire staff, and manage operations with a $100,000 budget as part of a real-world AI safety experiment. Luna created the concept and merchandise, posted jobs, and conducted interviews, but made missteps such as inconsistent store logos, not always disclosing its AI nature to applicants, and a scheduling error on opening day. Two human employees were subsequently formally employed and paid by Andon Labs. The goal of the experiment is to evaluate current AI capabilities and safety, not immediate profit, with guardrails in place and ongoing oversight.
Experts warn that TSA staffing shortages could force the closure of some U.S. airports, causing widespread travel disruption and economic impact, with hubs like Chicago O’Hare, Pittsburgh and LaGuardia highlighted as examples of potential ripple effects.