Peabdy Essex Museum In Salem Laying Off 15 Percent Of Staff

SALEM, MA — The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem will lay off 38 workers, or 15 percent of its 260 employees, as a result of the state's closure of nonessential businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The layoffs are across all departments and are effective immediately, the museum said in a statement Wednesday. The museum said it would cut its operating budget to $30 million in fiscal 2021 from $36 million this year.

"It is with deep regret that these layoffs are now necessary," Chief Executive Brian Kennedy said. "We have been able to keep our staffing level whole, without furloughs or layoffs, over the last four months during the museum’s closure, but at this juncture, this is no longer sustainable."

The Peabody Essex Museum remains closed and has not announced a reopening date.

The museum had been paying all full- and part-time employees with endowment revenue and cash on hand since it closed on March 12. The museum also received funds under the federal Paycheck Protection Plan loan program.

Peabody Essex also halted construction and landscaping projects, and canceled several public programming events and loan exhibitions this spring.

"PEM is a venerable institution that embraces a continual state of innovation and evolution," Kennedy said. "The museum will ultimately weather this storm and, when it does, find itself a continuing and essential part of our culture and community."