The headcount in the office of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has swelled to the highest level of his seven --year tenure -- prompting him to order a massive cut over the next 19 months, The New York Post reported Monday.

Figures posted on the city's Web site show that the mayor's office had 492 employees as of September, while at the end of the 2007 fiscal year in June, the figure stood at 451, according to the report.

With the economy in trouble, the mayor has reportedly ordered a 10 percent reduction in the "authorized" headcount -- the maximum allowable payroll -- which now stands at 521.

Mark Lavorgna, a mayoral spokesman, was quoted as saying that the cutback would be accomplished by attrition through June 30, 2010.

Bloomberg has announced plans to cut the entire city work force by 3,000 - including some 500 layoffs -- to help deal with a projected 4 billion dollars budget gap over 18 months, the report said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2008)