Keeping with the national trend, one Massachusetts’ company is cutting Boston finance jobs.

Fidelity Investments recently announced it is considering a plan to reduce its staff as it suffers negative cash flow in its stock mutual funds. According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, layoffs could include as many as 4,000 employees, or about 9 percent of Fidelity’s work force. While other industries in Boston are adding jobs, cuts at Fidelity would affect a number of the company’s units, including its core investment-management branch.

The company is “very stable, and very strong, but certainly these are extraordinary times,” Anne Crowley, spokeswoman for Fidelity, said in the article, adding the company has been reviewing its costs and staffing amid market turmoil.

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A hair salon chain will soon make management jobs in Boston available.

Great Clips, Inc., the largest walk-in hair salon brand in North America, is doing its part to help job growth in the Boston area continue by recently announcing Boston is now open for franchise sales. With this announcement, more than 200 salons are projected for the greater Boston area, with at least 10 new salons expected to open by the end of 2009, according to an article by Market Watch.

With more than 200 salons projected in the near future, this will result in approximately 2,000 full-time and part-time jobs for hair care professionals, managers and other related workers in the greater Boston area. This move should add to the state’s recent job growth.

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Many Boston government jobs may soon be cut as part of an effort to close a $1.4 billion gap in the Massachusetts‘ budget.

According to an article by Bloomberg, as many as 1,000 government jobs could be cut across the state. Governor Deval Patrick plans to lower spending by about $1 billion this year through job eliminations and other savings, including cutting annual contributions to the state pension by $100 million. The governor also has proposed taking $200 million from the state’s $1.8 billion rainy-day fund.

“There are no easy choices here,'’ Patrick said in the article. “Many worthy ideas and good people will be affected.'’

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A group of new scientists have been hired to fill important new Boston science jobs.

The scientists have been hired to work at Boston University’s new bioterrorism laboratory. Because of the sensitive nature of the work, all the workers hired will be required to undergo a rigorous background check. The checks will include psychological testing and a review of the worker’s financial records, according to an article by the Associated Press.

Gary Nicksa, Boston University vice president for operations, stated the purpose of the background checks is to identify researchers who may be susceptible to stress-related mistakes or extortion. The checks are expected to be even more rigorous than current federal standards require.

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The importance of green technology is helping to maintain Boston jobs.

With current high energy prices, concerns about global warming and increasing venture capital, Boston’s green technology industry is finding itself insulated from many of the factors currently affecting the financial world, according to an article by The Boston Globe.

“I think it would be tough to find another sector where you could say that the fundamental market drivers are as strong, if not stronger, than ever,” John Balbach, managing partner at the Cleantech Group, said in the article.

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