BHP Billiton announces job cuts in SA

WHAT IS THE COMPANY DOING?

- Cutting 380 jobs largely at the Olympic Dam mine in SA's north.

- The latest cuts follow the loss of 90 jobs in February and 140, mostly contract positions, in June.

WHY HAS THE COMPANY ACTED?

- It is continuing to grapple with low commodity prices that initially made the planned expansion at Olympic Dam unviable and now threaten the existing operations.

- The company says it is being impacted by global challenges in the resources sector and its decisions are not the result of South Australian government policy settings.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT?

- The cuts will take the Olympic Dam workforce to about 3500 by mid-September.

- The decision adds to SA's employment woes, with the state's jobless rate of 7.9 per cent already the worst in the nation.

- Locals say the announcement on jobs may actually be a circuit breaker for the nearby Roxby Downs community, allowing the town to move forward. Uncertainty has dogged the area as locals anticipated the job cuts and wondered if they would be in the firing line.