Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen says an unspecified number of state employees will be laid off because of a tight budget. Bredesen said Wednesday the state work force needs to be cut because of a $550 million hole in the budget for the upcoming spending year. The state has more than 45,000 employees. An earlier administration proposal to give state employees the equivalent of a 2 percent pay raise won’t become a reality next year. Bredesen said it wouldn’t be fair to lay somebody off and give someone else a pay raise. The governor said the only area of the budget likely to be spared from cuts will be K-12 education. Higher education will likely see budget reductions.