CNY regions see falling jobless rates, rising job growth in July

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions fell significantly in July compared to a year ago when the pandemic caused widespread layoffs.

The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released Aug. 24.

The regions also posted robust job gains in July compared to July 2020, according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued Aug. 19.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 5.5 percent in July from 11.7 percent in July 2020.

The Utica–Rome region’s rate dropped to 5.7 percent from 11 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s number dipped to 5.5 percent from 10.7 percent; the Binghamton region hit 5.7 percent, down from 11.7 percent; the Ithaca area posted 4.6 percent, down from 9.3 percent; and the unemployment rate in the Elmira region declined to 5.7 percent in July from 11.9 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 fell to 7.6 percent in July 2021 from 7.7 percent in June and 14.7 percent in July 2020, according to preliminary figures released by the New York State Department of Labor.

The latest state unemployment rate of 7.6 percent was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.4 percent in July.

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.

July jobs data

The Syracuse region gained more than 14,000 jobs in the past year, the Utica–Rome metro area picked up more than 6,000 positions, the Watertown–Fort Drum region added 1,800 jobs, the Binghamton area gained 4,000 jobs, the Ithaca metro area picked up 2,400 jobs, and the Elmira region gained 1,600 jobs. All the regional gains were in the range of 4.4 percent to 5.4 percent.

New York state as a whole gained nearly 595,000 jobs, an increase of 7.1 percent, in that 12-month period. That exceeded the 5.3 percent year-over-year increase in jobs for the United States in that time.