Week 5 update on #museum staff impact: total furloughed and laid off staff this week stands at 11,429 (6.5% of Feb 2020 employment). It's not a huge increase over last week (10,688/6%). We know this sheet is an undercount, but it does indicate staff impact has slowed.
That's likely thanks to the hope of payroll protection in the CARES act. Museums are currently exploring its stipulations and limits. It provides payroll support for 8-week period between March 27 and June 30. seyfarth.com/news-insights/…
It also means that some museums may seek to re-hire employees furloughed/laid off before June 30, because that would enable them to hold on to maximum loan forgiveness.
But with many museums' fiscal years ending 6/30, another likely scenario is permanent staff reductions and reorganizations at that point. The next fiscal year's budget is going to look really, really different from 2019 & 2020 budgets. Positions and needs will be different too.
That's all to say: the bleeding has definitely slowed, and we may see some reprieve through June 30 as museums figure out their particular solutions to endure the nadir. But watch this space; our field and its work will be changing shape over the next year or two.
As always, if you hear of more impacts to staff, please add them to the spreadsheet. Also add updates as plans change. We know it's not a perfect picture, but until we have a better one, it's good to have some way to try to find patterns. Thanks all. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
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