Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, and Utica–Rome regions fell by at least one percentage point in June when compared to the same month in 2012, according to the latest New York State Labor Department data.
The jobless rate in Syracuse was 7.5 percent in June, up from 7.4 percent in May, but down sharply from 8.8 percent in June 2012. The rate in the Utica–Rome region decreased to 7.6 percent last month, from 7.7 percent in May and 8.6 percent in the year-ago period.
The unemployment rate in the Binghamton region was 7.7 percent in June, up from 7.5 percent in May but down from 8.9 percent in June 2012, according to figures from the state Labor Department.
The data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires.
The New York counties with the highest unemployment rates in June include St. Lawrence at 9.6 percent, Oswego at 9.4 percent, and Lewis at 9 percent. Bronx County had the state’s highest jobless rate in June at 11.8 percent. Kings County was also among the area with the highest rates at 9.4 percent.
Both Tompkins and Saratoga counties registered the lowest unemployment rate at 5.7 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 110,500 between June 2012 and this past June. The New York Labor Department last week reported the state’s unemployment rate at 7.5 percent in June, the lowest the figure has been 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.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com