The main entrance to the Kilgore facility for oilfield services giant Halliburton is seen in 2018. On Wednesday, Halliburton notified the Texas Workforce Commission it had laid off 233 employees in Kilgore, with plans to close the facility and move operations to Bossier City. The layoffs and closure are blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic, which has cut global demand for oil and natural gas, marking a historic industry slump.

Oilfield services company Halliburton has laid off 233 employees at its Kilgore facility, according to an alert issued today by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The company since 2009 has had a service operation in Longview and a larger facility on FM 349 in Kilgore.

The company employees a total of about 500 people in Gregg County.

This past week, hydraulic fracking services provider FTS International Services furloughed 59 employees at its Longview facility. It was the area’s first layoffs to be reported to the Texas Workforce Commission since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

This story will be updated.