NY unemployment rate drops to lowest level since March 2009

New York’s unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in April from 8.2 percent in March, hitting its lowest level since March 2009. That’s according to preliminary figures the New York State Department of Labor released today.

The number of unemployed residents statewide declined by 35,700 to 748,500, the department reported.

The unemployment rate in New York state, outside of New York City, fell from 7.7 percent in March to 7.4 percent last month, according to the Department of Labor data. New York City’s rate dipped to 8.4 percent in April from 8.9 percent the month before.

New York employers added 23,800 private-sector jobs in April, a growth rate of 0.3 percent, according to the state Labor Department’s preliminary figures.

As a result, New York reached an “all-time high” private-sector job count of 7,452,100 in April, the department said.

New York state reported a net gain of more than 121,000 total nonfarm jobs between April 2012 and April 2013, a gain of 1.4 percent. The state gained more than 137,000 private-sector jobs in the same 12-month period, an increase of 1.9 percent, according to the Labor Department.

Education and health services added the most jobs statewide, 43,100, over the last year. Second was professional and business services, adding 39,900 positions.

The government sector lost the most jobs statewide, 16,200, in the last year, with manufacturing second with a loss of 11,300 positions.

The Syracuse area generated a net gain of 3,500 total nonfarm jobs between April 2012 and this past April, an increase of 1.1 percent, according to the Labor Department data. The region gained 3,000 private-sector jobs in the same period, a rise of 1.2 percent.

The Ithaca area posted the state’s biggest percentage increase in total nonfarm jobs over the last year, with its job count rising by 2.3 percent, or 1,600 jobs. Ithaca’s private-sector employers added 1,600 jobs between April 2012 and April 2013, a 2.7 percent increase that was tied for the third highest in the state.

In the Utica–Rome region, the state figures indicate a year-over-year net decline of 200 total nonfarm jobs, or 0.2 percent. But the area gained 500 private-sector jobs, a 0.5 percent increase, in the same 12-month time period.

The Binghamton area saw a year-over-year net decline of 900 nonfarm jobs, or a 0.8 percent decrease, with no change reported in the number of private-sector jobs.

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

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