The OC Register recently reported that only 15,000 Cast Members currently work at the Happiest Place on Earth.
What We Know:
- Despite fans’ excitement to return to Disneyland after its extended closure, park management could not afford to re-employ all of their workers. So by the end of 2020, Disneyland officials laid off 11,500 employees out of their 32,000 cast members.
- Although Disneyland intends to give 1,000 more people jobs this summer, it is unclear if they will quickly return to pre-pandemic employment levels. This comes from the fact that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (DCA) are reopening in phases; currently, Disneyland only allows a certain capacity to enter the parks. Alongside this, they also have not reopened many attractions, restaurants, or shops just yet.
- Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek intends on changing that soon. During a tech conference in May, he declared he expects their U.S. theme parks to reach full capacity by fall. This means Disneyland may start hiring more than 1,000 new cast members soon.
- Disneyland remains hopeful that it will bring back most of its employees. Its leaders made several attempts during the pandemic to do so through special events. In fall 2020, DCA’s Buena Vista Street reopened to holiday shoppers, which allowed 230 cast members to return to work. After this, Disney asked furloughed employees to work at DCA’s A Touch of Disney Food Festival, which ran from March 18-April 5. Finally, Disneyland brought back 10,000 workers in mid-March to prepare for the grand re-opening of the theme parks.
Disneyland will eventually need more than 15,000 workers to attend to their tourists. Its flagship resort, The Disneyland Hotel, will reopen on July 2. On top of this, Disney’s California Adventure recently opened Avengers Campus, a land designed specifically for Marvel lovers. These two attractions will generate more attention, and Disneyland will need to send more workers to these areas.
