Roxby Downs looks beyond BHP job cuts

Businesses in a remote South Australian mining town say BHP Billiton's latest round of job cuts could be the circuit breaker it desperately needs to let its economy recover.

The mining giant will cut 380 jobs, mostly from its nearby Olympic Dam mine, because of a slump in global commodity prices.

The latest cuts come after the BHP Billiton axed more than 140 company and contract jobs in June.

Roxby Downs Mitre 10 manager Craig Dodman said uncertainty over which jobs would go was crippling the community.

"Everyone is thinking `Am I one of those 380 people?' So money goes back into the pocket," Mr Dodman told AAP on Monday.

"So as soon as these cuts are done, it will probably have a positive affect on us.

"We're hoping this is as bad as it gets and hoping that, from this point on, we can see some recovery and the town returns to normal."

Roxby Downs not-for-profit newspaper, The Monitor, said while the town's economy was the worst it had been for decades, people remained resilient.

"There are people who have lived here for 20 years who say it's the worst it's been," editor Ryneisha Bollard said.

"Uncertainty is the main word going around, but I still think a lot of people are trying to be hopeful."