One of the larger employers in town, the local office of legal publishing company LexisNexis, has laid off 18 employees, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch article published today. The first wave of cuts saw 11 local jobs axed in May following an April announcement that nearly 300 positions across the country would be outsourced. Another seven jobs in the Charlottesville office were eliminated last week; those cuts were due to restructuring.
The T-D quotes company spokesman David Kurt to the effect that Lexis is facing a competitive marketplace and needs funds for major investments. The cuts are said not to be performance-based. If you see some high-performing people wandering the east end of the Downtown Mall looking morose, now you know why.