Most regions also gained jobs Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions all fell in September compared to a year ago. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) data released on Oct 22. In addition, the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira […]
Most regions also gained jobs
Unemployment rates in the
Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions all fell in September compared to a year ago.
The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) data released on Oct 22.
In addition, the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira areas all gained jobs between August 2023 and this past August. Only the Ithaca region lost jobs in that same period. That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the NYSDOL issued on Oct. 17.
Regional unemployment rates
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 3.1 percent in September from 3.6 percent in September 2023.
Around the area, the Utica–Rome region’s rate dipped to 3.3 percent this September from 3.6 percent a year prior; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s number hit 3.3 percent, down from 3.8 percent; the Binghamton region came in at 3.3 percent unemployment, down from 3.6 percent; the Ithaca’s area’s rate fell to 2.9 percent from 3.2 percent; and the Elmira region’s jobless rate was 3.5 percent in September, down from 3.9 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 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held constant at 4.4 percent in September, compared to August, according to preliminary figures that NYSDOL released.
At the same time, New York State’s labor force (seasonally adjusted) decreased by 3,400. As a result, the statewide labor-force participation rate fell from 61.3 percent to 61.2 percent in September 2024.
The 4.4 percent New York unemployment rate was higher than the U.S. jobless rate of 4.1 percent in September.
The September statewide unemployment figure of 4.4 percent was also unchanged from 4.4 percent in September 2023, 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.
September jobs data
The Syracuse region gained 5,000 jobs in the past year, an increase of 1.6 percent.
Elsewhere, the Utica–Rome metro area picked up 1,700 positions, a rise of 1.4 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum region gained 300 jobs, an increase of 0.3 percent; the Binghamton area added 2,100 jobs, up 2.1 percent; and the Elmira region gained 200 jobs in the past year, an increase of 0.6 percent. Bucking the trend, the Ithaca region lost 600 jobs, a decrease of 1 percent, in the past year.
New York state as a whole added nearly 142,000 jobs, an increase of 1.5 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy also added 2,000 jobs between August and September of this year, the Labor Department said.
