CNY unemployment rates mostly fell in February

It’s the last report before the coronavirus crisis slammed the state’s job market

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Binghamton, and Ithaca regions declined in February compared to the year-ago month.

At the same time, the jobless rate in the Watertown–Fort Drum area rose compared to February 2019, while the rate in the Elmira region remained unchanged.

The figures are part of the latest monthly New York State Department of Labor data released on March 31.

The February data reflects a time before the coronavirus pandemic hit the state, necessitating a shutdown of non-essential businesses and much of daily life in the second half of March. Weekly jobless claims filings soared in the state, so unemployment rates are likely to jump across the state when the March jobs report comes out.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 4.7 percent in February from 5 percent in the year-earlier period.

The Utica–Rome region’s unemployment rate slipped to 4.8 percent from 5.2 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s number inched up to 7.1 percent from 7 percent; the Binghamton region’s rate dipped to 5.3 percent from 5.4 percent; the Ithaca area posted a 3.6 percent rate, down from 3.8 percent; and the Elmira region’s rate was unchanged at 4.7 percent.

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.

Statewide unemployment rate

New York state’s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in February, down from 3.8 percent in January and 4 percent in February 2019.

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.