Independent Los Angeles agency RPA has confirmed that it recently underwent a round of layoffs, cutting 2.5 percent of its 750-member staff, which would equal about 18 employees, due to “recent shifts in clients’ budgets.”
“RPA is proud to report strong organic growth across clients especially in the areas of digital and web development,” a spokesperson said in an email. “Recent shifts in clients’ budgets have caused us to adjust staffing. Though these decisions are never easy, approximately 2.5 percent of our 750 associates are affected. At the same time, RPA has 30 open positions, many in the areas of digital and technology, reflecting growth in the areas of client needs.”
The spokeswoman declined to go further into detail.
RPA went through a similar round of layoffs almost exactly one year ago that saw “less than 2 percent” of staff cut, according to an agency spokesperson at the time, who blamed shifts in client spending then too. Sources said then that those layoffs were focused on media and production departments in response to budget cuts from the agency’s oldest and largest client, Honda.
RPA’s current roster includes Honda, La-Z-Boy, Dole, Southwest and Farmers Insurance, which recently released an animated 60-second ad celebrating the 115th birthday of Dr. Seuss that reimagined the classic Oh, the Places You’ll Go! tale with actual claims stories.