Cognizant to close Tampa facility, lay off over 550 staff

Technology firm Cognizant Technology Solutions will shut down its operations in Tampa, Florida in February, laying off 556 employees in the process, according to Mark O’Connell, director of government relations at Cognizant.
The terminated workers will not replace other current employees based on seniority, said O’Connell, and they will receive all benefits they are entitled to until the date of their termination. The layoffs will mainly affect process executives for data, totaling 418 in number. Other affected workers are 75 process specialists, 28 team leaders, 13 team leads, and other miscellaneous positions.
Cognizant, whose headquarters are in New Jersey, has five offices in Tampa. The company in October announced that it would exit its content moderation business, which would lead to a loss of 6,000 jobs.