Industry layoffs mount as cancelled contracts and DOGE efforts take hold

The layoffs and firings that are happening across government agencies have spread into the contractor workforce that supports them, with multiple companies filing notifications in Virginia and Maryland of workforce reductions.

Companies with over 100 employees are required to file notifications when they conduct a mass layoff.

A total of 13 GovCon companies have issued WARN notices in Virginia and Maryland, which adds up to 2,425 people losing their jobs.

One of the largest groups of layoffs was announced by Mitre, a not-for-profit operator of federally funded research and development centers, which Wednesday reported that it plans to lay off 442 people.

In an interview with WT, Mitre's CEO Mark Peters said some of those layoffs involve consulting work the nonprofit had drifted into over the years.

Peters, who became CEO in September, said the company was already shifting its focus to its core work of operating federally-funded ...