SunPower Corp. isn’t immune to a growing industry trend: layoffs.

The solar panel maker in San Jose, Calif. has laid off 60 to 75 people, a source told us. Among those folks who were let go included Brad Davis, the chief marketing officer, the source said. SunPower created the CMO position and hired Davis in 2007.

Other management-level employees who were laid off also included Whitney Thomlin, a manager at SunPower’s installation business, and Stephen Kelley, a sales director, the source said.

A SunPower spokeswoman said the company will respond to a request for information shortly.

UPDATE: The company said it let go 60 people in its non-manufacturing operations. That amounted to 6 percent of the non-manufacturing workforce or 1.2 percent of its overall, 5,000-person payroll.

The company is due to discuss its earnings this afternoon.

Layoffs have become a norm in the solar business. Just this week, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Ausra confirmed it had shed 10 percent of its staff after Greentech Media first reported the layoffs. Not only that, the company is changing its business model (see Ausra Update: Layoffs Confirmed and a Change of Business Plans).

OptiSolar has slashed about 50 percent of its staff while Suntech Power Holdings has cut 10 percent. HelioVolt and SunEdison also have shrunk their work forces (see Greenlight post).