An unprecedented number of Miami government jobs could soon be eliminated if the city fails to find a different way to balance its budget.

If city officials don’t find another solution in the near future, Miami could be forced to lay off 1,128 employees, or about 31 percent of the city’s workforce. Officials have been avidly looking for ways to mend a $100 million budget gap.

One tentative plan would change a civil service law and place the lowest-paid, shortest-tenured employees at the highest risk of being laid off, while allowing the highest-paid, longest-serving workers to keep their jobs.

According to an article by the Miami Herald, many alternatives have been suggested in an attempt to avoid cutting city jobs. Such things as charging outsiders to use a firing range at the College of Policing and charging anyone who wants to use the city’s fingerprinting resources could bring in about $10 million.

Miami is having such trouble balancing its budget because of declining property-tax revenues and increasing union pensions that were previously approved. Some measures have already been taken in order to find a solution, including hiring a banker, making some layoffs, and freezing salary increases and hiring.

In addition, city officials declared a state of “financial urgency” in May after failing to negotiate with the firefighters’ union, which represents more than 600 firefighters. Those employees are among the highest paid in Miami, with many bringing in more than $300,000 per year, including salary and benefits.

City officials must vote on a balanced budget no later than September 30.

Unlike most places throughout the country – save for a few select cities and states – more Miami jobs (Click here) are being added to the local economy as the unemployment rate declines.

During September, the Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall area saw its unemployment rate decrease from 11.8 percent to 11.3 percent, following an increase from 11.7 percent during August. However, the area’s current rate was still higher than the national unemployment rate at the time of 9.8 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 1,005,500 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,004,200 workers during August, but a 3.2 percent decrease from last year.

Five industries managed to see a monthly increase in employment during September, including manufacturing by 100 jobs, professional and business services by 1,200 jobs, education and health services by 1,500 jobs, other services by 200 jobs and government by 1,800 jobs. Employment in the mining and logging, information and financial activities industries remained flat at 400; 18,600 and 70,800 jobs, respectively.

No industries were able to add jobs on a yearly basis. The mining and logging industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 400 workers during September, the same as during August and a 20 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

• construction by 14.4 percent
• manufacturing by 6.8 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 3.2 percent
• information by 5.1 percent
• financial activities by 2.5 percent
• professional and business services by 3.5 percent
• education and health services by .3 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 1.6 percent
• other services by 3.2 percent
• government by 2.4 percent