The Met Could Slash More Than 100 Jobs in Move to Battle Deficit

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Job cuts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art could reach or exceed 100 as the museum attempts to battle a growing deficit.

Since the museum announced that it would be offering employees buyout in April, 56 out of 159 eligible employees have accepted, reported The New York Times. But even more employees may lose their jobs due to layoffs. Employees over the age of 50 with 15 years of experience at the Met were eligible for the buyouts, the Times reported.

The museum is looking to cut 5 percent of its curatorial and conservation department staff and nearly 15 to 20 percent of its administrative staff, reported the Times.

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But the Met insists the cuts will not affect the museum's quality.

"There is no letting up on the quality and the commitment we have to excellence — nothing we’re doing will be discernible or visible to the public,” Daniel H. Weiss, the Met’s president and chief operating officer, told the Times. “We’re planning to streamline our budgets but not to diminish our mission."

The Met is currently operating with a $10 million yearly deficit, but that number could get worse should the museum fail to control spending and raise revenue, the Times reported.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art did not immediately return Patch's request for comment.

>>> Read the full New York Times story here.

[Photo: Majonaise via wikimedia commons]