Most CNY regions gained jobs in February compared to a year ago

Five of the six regions in the 16-county CNYBJ coverage area reported job growth in February compared to a year ago, while one area lost jobs.

The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions generated job growth ranging from 2.7 percent to 4.5 percent between February 2021 and this past February. Meanwhile, the Ithaca area lost 400 jobs in the past year, a 0.7 percent decline.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) issued on Thursday.

The Syracuse region gained 8,900 jobs in the past year, a 3 percent rise.

In the same time period between February 2021 and February 2022, the Utica–Rome metro area picked up 3,700 jobs, a 3.2 percent increase; the Watertown–Fort Drum region added 1,700 jobs, an increase of 4.5 percent; the Binghamton area gained 3,300 jobs, a 3.6 percent rise; and the Elmira region gained 900 jobs, an increase of 2.7 percent, the NYSDOL said.

New York state as a whole gained 487,700 jobs, an increase of 5.6 percent, between February 2021 and this February. The state economy added 30,600 jobs, a 0.3 percent rise, between January and February of this year, the Department of Labor said.

New York state’s economy gained 458,000 private-sector jobs, an increase of 6.3 percent in the last 12 months. The state also picked up 39,800 private-sector jobs, a 0.5 percent increase, between January and February of this year, the state Labor Department reported.

The state’s private-sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York state employers that the U.S. Department of Labor conducts.