Wednesday, May 21, 2008

HUGE JOB LOSS LOOMS IN CITY


By TOM TOPOUSIS

May 21, 2008 -- The city will lose 70,500 jobs and $2 billion in tax revenues over the next year as a national recession sweeps into the Big Apple, the Independent Budget Office predicted yesterday.

But watchdogs say the downturn won't affect the city budget until after Mayor Bloomberg is out of office because of a current $4.6 billion surplus and cost-cutting begun this year.

Job-loss predictions are:

* Financial services: 33,300 positions lost.

* Professional and business services: 21,200.

* Information industry: 8,600.

* Construction: 7,400.

The IBO predicts that what it views as a recession will "bottom out" in New York by the middle of next year.

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