Adecco trims 154 as workers leave before move

Global staffing company Adecco is laying off 154 workers in Melville as the company moves to its new North American headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. That number is down from its initial estimate of 185, as workers find "opportunities" elsewhere, the company said Tuesday.

The number of expected layoffs was reduced as employees exited the company following Adecco's March announcement of plans to sell its building at 175 Broadhollow Rd. and move its operations, a company spokeswoman said in a statement.

About 20 Melville workers are "seriously considering" a move to Jacksonville and are in talks with the company, she said.

Adecco employed about 350 at the distinctive asymmetrical building at the intersection of Pinelawn and Broadhollow roads.

In a filing Tuesday with the state Department of Labor, the company said about 200 would be transferred to other Melville locations.

Layoffs of the 154 remaining employees will occur in phases between Aug. 29 and Dec. 31, the company said in the filing.

The company spokeswoman said between 250 and 300 service center and information technology employees at multiple locations are expected to remain on Long Island after the move to Florida. That compares with an earlier estimate of 250, she said.

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Adecco is in line to receive economic incentives worth about $2 million from Florida state and local authorities in connection with the transfer of jobs.

The 130,000-square-foot building at 175 Broadhollow Rd., which company officials said remains on the market, was the headquarters of Olsten Staffing until 2000, when Adecco acquired its Melville-based rival in a $1.6-billion deal.

In 2010, Adecco acquired Jacksonville-based MPS Group for $1.3 billion. Robert Crouch, who was the chief financial officer of MPS, was named chief of Adecco's North America operations in 2012.

Adecco's parent company, Switzerland-based Adecco S.A., provides temporary and permanent staffing services in more than 60 countries and territories.