Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions were higher in June than the year-earlier month. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) data released July 23. Regional unemployment rates The jobless rate in the Syracuse area rose to 3.7 percent in June […]
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions were higher in June than the year-earlier month. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) data released July 23.
Regional unemployment rates
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area rose to 3.7 percent in June from 3.5 percent in June 2023. Around the area, the Utica–Rome region’s jobless number increased to 3.8 percent from 3.5 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s rate was 3.9 percent compared to 3.7 percent; the Binghamton region posted a 3.9 percent rate, up from 3.6 percent; the Ithaca area unemployment number went up to 3.8 percent from 3.4 percent; and the Elmira region had 3.9 percent unemployment in June, up from 3.8 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
New York state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 percent in June, compared to May, according to preliminary figures that NYSDOL released. At the same time, New York State’s labor force (seasonally adjusted) decreased by 3,000. As a result, the statewide labor-force participation rate held constant at 61.3 percent in June 2024. The 4.2 percent unemployment rate was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.1 percent in June. The June statewide unemployment figure of 4.2 percent was higher than the 4.0 percent figure reported in June 2023, according to department figures. 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.