Just two years after they laid off 1,000 employees because of “post-pandemic challenges,” UPMC is cutting 500 more positions, according to multiple reports.
The hospital network and insurance provider, which is the largest nongovernment employer in Pennsylvania, announced 200 employee layoffs on June 9, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. UPMC will also cut 300 additional open positions.
Here’s what to know about the staffing cuts.
What Kind of Positions Did UPMC Eliminate?
UPMC’s layoffs are taking place “primarily among those who are not in clinical or member-facing roles,” UPMC said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time UPMC staff has been reduced in recent years. Layoffs also took place in 2024, when UPMC cut more than 1,000 employees due to “post-pandemic challenges,” TribLIVE reported.
The healthcare provider and insurer is the largest nongovernment employer in Pennsylvania, with about 100,000 employees, according to UPMC’s website. Of those employees, 5,000 are doctors.
The network has 40 hospitals and 800 outpatient sites in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland, and it’s growing: In May, UPMC acquired Trinity Health System, a hospital network based in eastern Ohio, and this month, the network opened its $85 million heart institute expansion at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville, TribLIVE reported.
UPMC Finances: Losses, Then a Turnaround
UPMC’s finances have fluctuated over the past few years as the healthcare network suffered operating losses of $339 million in 2024 and $198 million in 2023, TribLIVE reported. The network bounced back in 2025 when its operating income hit $286 million. Part of the increase in income came in the insurance services department because of higher income from Medicaid.
Even still, in May, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen released a report flagging three UPMC hospitals in southwest Pennsylvania as at risk of closure because of legislation cutting Medicaid spending — UPMC Mercy, UPMC McKeesport and UPMC Greene.
Healthcare Workers Call on UPMC to Invest in Staff
Michelle Hart, a neonatal nurse practitioner, said in a statement from the union representing workers at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital that UPMC must “invest in, rather than reduce, our staff,” TribLIVE reported.
“UPMC cannot continue to prioritize branding, construction and executive compensation over investing in frontline staff,” Hart said.
SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is in the process of negotiating a contract for nurses and advanced practitioners at Magee, the Post-Gazette reported.
