Jobless rates continue to decline across Central New York, but the region’s job-growth picture remains mixed. Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, Utica–Rome, and Ithaca metro areas fell by an average of more than 1 percentage point when compared to a year ago, according to the latest New York State Department of Labor data released […]
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Jobless rates continue to decline across Central New York, but the region’s job-growth picture remains mixed.
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, Utica–Rome, and Ithaca metro areas fell by an average of more than 1 percentage point when compared to a year ago, according to the latest New York State Department of Labor data released Jan. 28.
At the same time, the data indicates a net gain in total jobs in the Syracuse and Utica–Rome regions between late 2012 and late 2013, and year-over-year job losses in the Ithaca and Binghamton regions.
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 6.5 percent in December, down from 6.6 percent in November, and well below the 8.5 percent posted in December 2012. The rate in the Utica–Rome region was 6.8 percent in December, down from 6.9 percent in November, and sharply lower than the 8.9 percent of a year ago.
The unemployment rate in the Binghamton region was 6.9 percent in December, down from 7.1 percent in November and below the 8.8 percent posted a year prior, according to figures from the state Labor Department.
The jobless rate in the Ithaca area came in at 4.1 percent in December, down from 4.4 percent in November, and off from the 5.5 percent rate in December 2012, the state Labor Department said.
The data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires.
The New York counties with among the highest unemployment rates in December include Jefferson and Hamilton at 9.1 percent and Lewis at 8.9 percent. Bronx County had the state’s highest jobless rate in December at 10.6 percent.
At 4.1 percent, Tompkins County posted the lowest unemployment rate in New York during December, the state Labor Department said.
The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the department noted.
CNY regional data
The Syracuse metro area generated a net gain of 4,100 total jobs between December 2012 and this past December, an increase of 1.3 percent, according to the state data. The region picked up 3,900 private-sector jobs in the same period, a rise of 1.5 percent.
The Ithaca region lost 200 total jobs year-over-year, a decrease of 0.3 percent. Ithaca’s private-sector employers lost 300 jobs between December 2012 and December 2013, a decline of 0.5 percent.
In the Utica–Rome metro area, the state figures indicate a year-over-year net gain of 1,300 total jobs, or 1 percent. The region also gained 1,600 private-sector jobs, a 1.7 percent increase, in the same 12-month period.
The Binghamton area saw a year-over-year net decline of 1,000 total jobs, or a 0.9 percent decrease. In the same time period, the region’s private-sector job count remained unchanged between December 2012 and this past December.
The state’s private-sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers that the U.S. Department of Labor conducts, the state Labor Department said.
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.
Statewide unemployment
New York’s unemployment rate declined to 7.1 percent in December, from 7.4 percent in November, hitting its lowest level since January 2009.
That’s according to preliminary figures the New York State Department of Labor released Jan. 23.
The Empire State’s economy added 10,400 private-sector jobs in December, raising New York’s private-sector job count to more than 7.5 million, representing an “all-time high,” the department said in a news release.
The preliminary December unemployment rate of 7.1 percent for New York is down from the 8.2 percent rate in December 2012, according to the state Labor Department data.
In areas of the state outside of New York City, which includes all of upstate and Long Island, the unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent in December, down from 7.8 percent in December 2012, according to the department’s data.
Educational and health services added the most jobs statewide, more than 52,000, over the last year. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector was the second biggest jobs producer, adding nearly 36,000 positions, according to the state Labor Department.
The leisure and hospitality sector was third on the list, adding more than 14,000 jobs. The professional and business-services sector followed, picking up more than 11,000 jobs.
The government sector led the way in job losses in December, declining by more than 13,000, in the last year, according to the state Labor Department.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com