Most CNY unemployment rates rose in November

Regional jobs picture mixed in last year         

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions rose in November compared to a year ago.

At the same time, the jobless rate in the Ithaca area remained unchanged.

The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released Dec. 24.

On the job-growth front, the Syracuse, Watertown–Fort Drum, and Ithaca regions gained jobs between November 2018 and this past November. 

The Utica–Rome, Binghamton, and Elmira areas lost jobs in the same period.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued Dec. 19.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area rose to 3.7 percent in November from 3.6 percent in November 2018.

The Utica–Rome region’s unemployment rate increased to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area rate went up to 5.5 percent from 4.9 percent; the Binghamton region’s rate rose to 4.0 percent from 3.8 percent; the Ithaca area’s rate stayed put at 3.0 percent; and the Elmira region’s jobless rate edged up to 3.7 percent from 3.6 percent in the same month 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 was 4.0 percent in November, unchanged from October, but up from 3.9 percent in November 2018, the department said. 

The 4 percent unemployment rate was higher than the U.S. jobless rate of 3.5 percent in November.

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.

November jobs data

The Syracuse region gained 4,600 jobs in the last year, a 1.4 percent increase.

The Utica–Rome metro area lost 300 jobs, a decrease of 0.2 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum region picked up 200 positions, an increase of 0.5 percent; the Binghamton area shed 500 jobs, a 0.5 percent drop; the Ithaca region gained 1,600 jobs, an increase of 2.4 percent; and the Elmira area lost 200 jobs, a decline of 0.5 percent.

New York state as a whole gained nearly 117,000 jobs, an increase of 1.2 percent, in the last 12 months. The state economy gained 15,400 jobs, a 0.2 percent rise, in the last month, the labor department said.