BURLINGTON — GE Healthcare said Thursday it was laying off about 10 percent of its Vermont workforce, but promised to try to find “alternate roles” for those who lose their jobs.

GE Healthcare spokesman Benjamin Fox wouldn’t say how many workers a 10 percent cut represented.

“While GE Healthcare regrets the loss of any jobs, the business needs to make tough decisions in the current economic climate,” Fox said.

The Burlington Free Press reported that in January GE Healthcare employed about 527 people.

GE Healthcare specializes in information technology for the health care industry.

The South Burlington facility was founded as the medical software producer IDX Systems.GE Healthcare bought IDX in 2005 for $1.2 billion.

Vermont Deputy Commerce Secretary Patricia Moulton Powden said the job losses at GE Healthcare is tragic, but there are other high-tech companies in the area looking for talented employees.

“The only silver lining is we have a lot of employers looking for this kind of talent,” Moulton Powden said.