But most CNY regions gained jobs in last year Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Ithaca regions rose in August compared to a year ago. At the same time, the jobless rate in the Elmira area was unchanged in the last 12 months. The figures are […]
But most CNY regions gained jobs in last year
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Ithaca regions rose in August compared to a year ago.
At the same time, the jobless rate in the Elmira area was unchanged in the last 12 months. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released Sept. 24.
On the job-growth front, the Syracuse, Watertown–Fort Drum, Ithaca, Binghamton, and Elmira regions all gained jobs between August 2018 and this past August, while the Utica–Rome area lost jobs in the same period.
That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued Sept. 18.
Regional unemployment rates
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area rose to 4.2 percent in August from 3.8 percent in August 2018.
In the Utica–Rome region, the unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent from 3.9 percent; in the Watertown–Fort Drum area, it increased to 5 percent from 4.4 percent; in the Binghamton region, the rate edged up to 4.5 percent from 4.3 percent; in the Ithaca area, it rose to 3.9 percent from 3.6 percent; and the Elmira region posted a 4.3 percent jobless rate, unchanged from a year ago.
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.
State unemployment rate
New York state’s unemployment rate remained at 4 percent in August for a fourth straight month. That was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in August.
The August statewide unemployment figure of 4 percent was up from 3.9 percent in August 2018, according to department figures.
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.
August jobs data
The Syracuse region gained 4,100 jobs in the past year, a rise of 1.3 percent.
The Watertown–Fort Drum region gained 200 jobs, an increase of 0.5 percent; the Binghamton area picked up 700 positions, a rise of 0.7 percent; the Ithaca region gained 2,300 jobs, an increase of 3.7 percent; and, the Elmira area added 200 jobs, a rise of 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, the Utica–Rome region lost 400 jobs, a decrease of 0.3 percent.
New York state as a whole gained more than 117,000 jobs, an increase of 1.2 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy gained nearly 12,000 jobs, a 0.1 percent rise, from July to August, the labor department said.