Report: Most areas of CNY gained jobs in the last year

Most areas of Central New York added jobs between March 2014 and this past March.

The Ithaca region was the lone exception, having lost a net 1,300 jobs, a decline of 1.8 percent.

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

The Syracuse region gained 2,300 total jobs between March 2014 and this past March, an increase of 0.7 percent.

The Utica–Rome region added 1,900 jobs in the same period, a rise of 1.5 percent.

The Binghamton region gained 500 jobs in the same 12-month time span, an increase of 0.5 percent, according to the state Labor Department data.

The Watertown-Fort Drum region picked up 400 jobs in the period, an increase of 1 percent.

New York state as a whole gained 149,100 jobs, a rise of 1.7 percent, in the last year. The state economy added 8,200 jobs between February and March, according to the report.

Private-sector jobs

The Syracuse region gained 2,400 private-sector jobs between March 2014 and this past March, an increase of 0.9 percent. The Utica–Rome area added 1,900 private-sector positions, a gain of 2 percent.

The Binghamton region gained 400 private-sector jobs, an increase of 0.5 percent, in the last year, according to the report.

The Ithaca area lost 800 private-sector positions between March 2014 and this past March, a decrease of 1.3 percent.

The Watertown-Fort Drum region gained 400 private-sector jobs, an increase of 1.4 percent.

New York state’s economy added more than 146,000 private-sector jobs, a 1.9 percent gain, in the last 12 months, with most of those positions located Downstate.

The state also gained more than 8,600 private-sector jobs, a 0.1 percent increase, in the last month, the state Labor Department reported.

The gains increased the state’s overall private-sector job count to 7,753,700 positions, which represents a “new all-time high,” according to the state Labor Department.

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.

New York state’s unemployment rate fell from 5.8 percent in February to 5.7 percent in March, its lowest level since August 2008. The March rate is also down from 6.6 percent a year ago, according to state Labor 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.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com