L’Auberge To Layoff 441 In Lake Charles And 161 In Baton Rouge

Every action has a reaction. Louisiana's gaming and hotel/hospitality industries were already fragile due to the national stay-home order. Now that most of the state has re-opened, the surge of new coronavirus cases is proving to be bad for business. Entertainment outlets are being forced to shed employees and it is directly related to the on-going coronavirus pandemic. Louisiana like a few states in the country, has backtracked on progress made with COVID-19 cases since starting Phase-2 operations.

State travel risk-level advisory numbers are staggering and the highest mostly in southern states. According to the Harvard Global Health Institute, Louisiana came in at #4 with a 21% increase in new daily cases per 100,000 residents in the past 7 days. Ten states in the south have seen an increase of people testing positive. States with the highest risk are Arizona with a surge of 47.5% cases and Florida with 39.3%

Reality of the health pandemic is starting to set-in as lost revenue and the loss of jobs has hit home! L’Auberge Casino Resort recently filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the state, they're laying off 441 employees here in Lake Charles and another 161 employees at their Baton Rouge location. NOLA.com reported the biggest layoffs in the states casino industry, actually took place in March. Horseshoe Entertainment in Bossier City, eliminated 978 positions!

The free-fall will unfortunately continue, as long as the coronavirus infections rage on. Most L’Auberge layoffs will reportedly take place in August 15, adding to more than 4,000 casino/hospitality jobs lost statewide. In more grim news, Louisiana casinos aren’t the only hospitality industry shedding workers to try and weather through the COVID-19 crisis. Delta Downs Racetrack in Vinton, Evangeline Downs Racetrack and many hotel franchises are also announcing widespread layoffs. New Orleans in particular, is seeing massive staff reduction in chains that include:

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Canal
The Sheraton on Canal
W French Quarter on Chartres Street
New Orleans Marriott Hotel on Canal & Downtown Marriott at the Convention Center
Hilton New Orleans Airport and many others

For a complete list of WARN notices filed in Louisiana, click HERE.

For a complete list of layoffs, job titles and locations statewide, click HERE.

For complete LA Works job layoff list statewide, click HERE.