CARY – SAS is cutting jobs in some work groups but continues to hire in others, the privately held software giant confirmed Tuesday in a response from WRAL TechWire.

While not disclosing any numbers, SAS spokesperson Shannon Heath said layoffs had been made in work areas focusing on site support and training. The cuts reflect adjustments SAS is making to its workforce environment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing rules which led to many workers moving to work-from-home.

Sources had described the actions at SAS as “mass layoffs” and “lots of layoffs.”

“This is not a mass layoff,” said Heath.

“Approximately 100 positions were phased out as a result of our ongoing digital transformation efforts and the reduced need for on-site support services, including housekeeping and in-person event support.”

In an earlier statement, she spelled out the reasoning behind the layoffs.

“Permanent changes to business operations, some directly related to digital transformation of the business that were already in motion before the pandemic, affected several roles within the company,” Heath said via email.

“In addition to seeing increased demand for virtual events and education, we anticipate that many SAS employees will prefer to continue working from home or working in the office just a few days a week. These changes led to the difficult decision to reduce some positions that support events, training and on-site operations.”

SAS has some 14,000 employees worldwide, including more than 5,000 in Cary.

Heath also said SAS had sought to preserve jobs during the pandemic.

“For the last year, since the beginning of lockdowns associated with COVID-19, SAS has protected jobs impacted by the pandemic,” she explained. “SAS is continually assessing business needs and customer preferences. The ways we work, learn, attend events and much more have changed forever.”

Last September in another job force move, SAS outsourced management of its on-site daycare center to Bright Horizons, one of the largest employer-sponsored child care providers in the United States.

SAS outsources daycare center to Bright Horizon; employees must now decide — transfer or resign

However, SAS continues to hire for many technical jobs both at its Cary campus and around the world, Heath pointed out.

“We are continuing to hire in Cary, as well as around the globe,” she said.

The jobs page at SAS shows nearly 70 open positions in Cary.

As for workers being laid off, Heath said: “Employees eligible for retirement will receive standard retirement benefits.”

SAS revenues

In response to another query, Heath said revenues had declined in 2020 but that the company remained profitable.

“We will be releasing our financial information in our annual report again this year, as we did last year.,” she said. “That is expected in early April.  For now, I can confirm that while revenue was slightly down, as expected, in 2020, SAS still remained profitable last year.  More information on that will be available when we publish our annual report.”

For information about jobs at SAS, visit: https://www.sas.com/en_us/careers.html