Disney to begin second round of layoffs

WASHINGTON — The Walt Disney Co. has reportedly started its second round of layoffs this year, as part of a months-long effort to cut 7,000 jobs.

Disney officials said "several thousand" jobs will be cut this week, with the total number of layoffs for the year reaching 4,000, according to Reuters. 

A memo sent to staff from Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden announced that impacted workers would be notified between now and Thursday, with a final round of layoffs coming before summer. 

"These are hard decisions and not ones we take lightly – but every decision has been made with considerable thought, and we are doing everything we can to make sure this process is conducted with respect and compassion,” the memo obtained by multiple media outlets stated. 

According to CNBC and Variety, this second round of layoffs will impact several divisions in the company including Disney Entertainment and ESPN, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. Hourly frontline workers employed at Disney's parks and resorts are not expected to be affected by the cuts. 

CNBC reported ESPN will be cutting less than 100 off-camera jobs in this round. The latest cut includes ESPN's second-longest tenured executive, according to Sports Business Journal. Mike Soltys, vice president of corporate communications, first joined the company in 1980 as a college intern. 

CEO Bob Iger first announced the job cuts in February, which amount to about 3% of the entertainment giant's global workforce. As of Oct. 1, Disney employed 220,000 people, of which about 166,000 worked in the U.S. and 54,000 internationally.

Iger returned as CEO back in November, after a challenging two-year tenure by his handpicked successor, Bob Chapek.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.