CNY jobless rates rise in April compared to a year ago

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions were higher in April of this year versus the same month in 2023. The figures are part of the latest unemployment report that the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) released May 21.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 3.7 percent in April, up from 2.9 percent in April 2023. Around the region, the Utica–Rome region’s unemployment rate rose to 4.1 percent from 3.1 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s number hit 4.8 percent, up from 3.6 percent; the Binghamton area’s rate rose to 3.8 percent from 2.9 percent; the Ithaca region saw unemployment rise to 2.9 percent from 2.2 percent; and the jobless rate in the Elmira region elevated to 3.9 percent in April from 3.2 percent in the same month a year ago. The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires. The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.

State unemployment rate

The April statewide unemployment figure of 4.2 percent was higher compared to the 3.9 percent number reported in April 2023, according to state Department of Labor. The 4.2 percent unemployment rate was also higher than the U.S. jobless rate of 3.9 percent this April. The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 state households that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts.