One popular institution is cutting Atlanta healthcare jobs.

Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta Inc. has announced its plan to get rid of 50 jobs, or about 2.5 percent of its workforce, blaming a need for the cuts on a deteriorating economy.

The major Atlanta hospital confirmed it will achieve about 20 of those cuts through attrition and the rest through involuntary layoffs, according to an article by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Saint Joseph’s decision to tighten its belt, industry insiders said, is not unique as the nationwide healthcare sector is struggling with a rising volume of unpaid medical bills.

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A sign of the failing economy, workers are having a hard time finding Atlanta construction jobs.

During September 2008, Atlanta’s construction industry employed 128,100 workers, down from 132,000 during August and a decrease of 8 percent from last year, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many other industries in the city also lost jobs.

The city had a total non-farm employment of 2,433,200 during September, down from 2,450,500 in August and a decrease of 1.4 percent from last year.

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The City of Atlanta’s finance department has laid off dozens of employees and wiped out many vacant positions in order to help patch this year’s $140 million budget hole.

The layoffs hit not only senior accountants and policy managers, but office support staff such as administrative assistants. With the elimination of 38 Atlanta jobs, the agency lost nearly a quarter of the 170 authorized positions it had in fiscal year 2008.

In all, the city laid off 372 employees and eliminated 1,116 positions — some filled and some vacant — to address the deficit.
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