Area jobless rates fell by one percent or more in July

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, and Utica–Rome regions fell by at least one percentage point in July when compared to the same month in 2012, according to the latest New York State Department of Labor data.

The jobless rate in Syracuse was 7.4 percent in July, down slightly from 7.5 percent in June, but down sharply from 8.9 percent in July 2012. The rate in the Utica–Rome region decreased to 7.4 percent last month from 7.6 percent in June and 8.6 percent in the year-ago period.

The unemployment rate in the Binghamton region was 7.6 percent in July, down from 7.7 percent in June, and much lower than the 9.1 percent rate posted in July 2012, according to figures from the state Labor Department.

The unemployment rates in most areas of the state are down, says Mark Barbano, regional economist with the New York State Department of Labor, who is based in Utica.

But the statewide ranking of individual county-unemployment rates “hasn’t changed a lot,” he says.

For example, the Utica–Rome area includes Oneida and Herkimer counties. In July 2012, Oneida County was ranked 36th for unemployment in the state.

“This year, they’re at number 34,” Barbano says.

With July 2013 unemployment rates of 7.4 percent, both Chautauqua County and Orange County are also ranked 34th statewide.

In July 2012, the unemployment rate of 8.3 percent in Herkimer County ranked 23rd statewide. A year later, Herkimer’s jobless rate of 7.2 percent ranks 28th statewide, along with Madison, Monroe, and Essex Counties, according to figures from the state Labor Department

When asked about the 1.2 percent decline in the Utica–Rome, Barbano pointed to the improving jobs numbers.

In the Utica–Rome area, the total nonfarm job count rose 900 to 130,300. If you subtract the public-sector from that figure, the private-sector job count was up 1,300 year-over-year, Barbano says.

The leisure and hospitality sector gained 600 jobs; trade, transportation, and utilities added 1,200 jobs; and education and health services gained 100 jobs between July 2012 and this past July, according to figures from the state Labor Department.

The government and manufacturing sectors each lost 400 jobs, and the construction sector lost 100 positions since July 2012, the department reported.

The Utica–Rome area remains “in the middle of the pack,” compared to the rest of the state, Barbano says.

The New York counties with the highest unemployment rates in July include St. Lawrence at 9.3 percent and Oswego at 9 percent. Bronx County had the state’s highest jobless rate in July at 11.9 percent. Kings County was also among the areas with the highest rates at 9.6 percent.

Tompkins, Yates, and Saratoga counties registered the second lowest unemployment rate at 5.6 percent. Hamilton County had the state lowest jobless rate in July at 4.2 percent, the state Labor Department said.

The rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, according to the state Labor Department.

The state’s private-sector job count rose by 129,300 between July 2012 and this past July. The New York Labor Department last week reported the state’s unemployment rate at 7.5 percent in July, remaining at its lowest level since February 2009.

The unemployment rate as determined by the federal government is calculated primarily on the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 households (out of more than seven million) in New York.

The data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as summer hires or holiday hires.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com