Millions of dollars used for Atlanta job funding could soon be lost.

The City of Atlanta may have to give up $11.3 million for allegedly mishandling federal grant money intended to help people find jobs, according to an article by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. An audit by the United States Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General found the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency used the money to make contracts without competitive bids, make questionable expenditures and supply services to ineligible recipients.

The audit recommends the Labor Department recover the $11.3 million in federal Welfare-to-Work and Workforce Investment Act funds that should have been used to pay for job training and placement services.

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In one bright spot for Atlanta, whose economy has been declining along with the rest of the nation, a new plant will create more Atlanta manufacturing jobs.

Atlanta Fiberglass USA recently purchased a plant in Washington-Wilkes County. It is currently expected that about 25 workers will be hired at the plant and more positions will be available shortly, according to an article by WJBF. The company specializes in making fiberglass for nuclear plants, computers, surf boards and boats.

“The ultimate goal is to bring manufacturing back to the United States,” Madanjit Oberoi, president of Atlanta Fiberglass USA, said in the article. “We plan to add new facilities in this building here, like weaving and battery separators and also automotive insulation parts.

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Another company is planning to cut hundreds of Atlanta retail jobs.

The Home Depot Inc. recently announced that it would cut 7,000 jobs across the nation and close 34 expo stores. Of the jobs to be cut, 462 are in the Atlanta area at the company’s headquarters in Vinings and the facility in Cumberland. The layoffs will affect 324 salaried workers and 138 hourly workers at both facilities, according to an article by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

None of the employees to lose their jobs beginning April 1 are members of unions or able to partake in collective bargaining agreements. The company also plans to cut 75 positions at Home Depot Bath and Remodeling Inc. in Kennesaw.

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A large department store’s closing will result in the loss of almost 1,000 Atlanta retail jobs.

Macy’s recently announced its plan to close the company’s regional headquarters in Atlanta, a move that will cut 850 jobs. The company plans to cut 7,000 across the country, or about 4 percent of its total workforce. The eliminated jobs in Atlanta will include everything from administrative support to senior executives, according to an article by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

However, the company does plan to open two district offices in Atlanta, which will employ about 50 workers. That means a fraction of the displaced retail workers could end up finding jobs in other parts of the company.

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