CNY unemployment rates dip in November, regional job growth mixed

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, Utica–Rome, Ithaca, and Watertown–Fort Drum metro areas fell in November, compared to a year ago, according to the latest New York State Department of Labor data released Tuesday.

At the same time, job growth in Central New York remained in mixed in the last year, according to a separate report the department released last week.

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 4.8 percent in November, down from 5.5 percent in November 2014.

The unemployment rate in the Utica–Rome region declined to 4.9 percent in November from 5.7 percent in the year-earlier period.

The jobless rate in the Watertown–Fort Drum area was 6.5 percent in November, down from 7.1 percent in November 2014.

The unemployment rate in the Binghamton region fell to 5.3 percent in November from 5.8 percent a year ago, according to figures from the state Labor Department.

The jobless rate in the Ithaca region was 3.7 percent in November, down from the 3.9 percent rate in November 2014.

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.

November jobs data

The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, and Watertown–Fort Drum regions gained jobs in the past 12 months, while the Ithaca, and Binghamton regions lost jobs in the same time period.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued Dec. 17.

The Syracuse region gained 2,300 jobs between November 2014 and this past November, an increase of 0.7 percent.

The Utica–Rome metro region added 500 jobs, a gain of 0.4 percent, in the same time period.

The Watertown–Fort Drum added 100 jobs in the last year, a rise of 0.2 percent.

The Binghamton region lost 1,700 jobs between November 2014 and this past November, a decrease of 1.6 percent.

The Ithaca region lost 1,300 jobs in the same 12-month time period, a decrease of 1.8 percent.

New York state as a whole gained more than 172,000 jobs, an increase of 1.9 percent, in the last year. The state economy added 12,400 jobs between October and November, an increase of 0.1 percent, according to the report.

New York state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8 percent in November, compared to October’s figure and remains at “its lowest level since November 2007,” the department said in its news release. It also remains below the national unemployment rate of 5 percent in November.

The November unemployment rate of 4.8 percent in New York is down from 5.8 percent in November 2014.

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.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com