Report: Most CNY region unemployment rates rise in July

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, and Ithaca regions increased in July compared to a year ago.

Bucking the trend, the jobless rate in the Elmira region fell compared to the same month in 2016. The unemployment rate in the Binghamton area remained the same compared to a year ago.

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

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 5.0 percent in July, up from 4.9 percent in July 2016.

The unemployment rate in the Utica–Rome region checked in at 4.9 percent in July, up from 4.7 percent a year prior.

The jobless rate in the Watertown–Fort Drum area hit 5.5 percent in July, up from 5.4 percent 12 months earlier.

The unemployment rate in the Ithaca region rose to 4.8 percent in July from the 4.5 percent figure posted in July 2016.

The unemployment rate in the Elmira area fell to 5.4 percent in July from 5.6 percent in the year-earlier period.

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.

Jobs data

The Syracuse region added 2,500 jobs between July 2016 and this past July, while the Utica–Rome, Binghamton, Watertown–Fort Drum and Ithaca regions also picked up positions in the same period.

However, Elmira region lost 500 jobs over the past year.

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

The job gains for the Syracuse region in that 12-month period represent an increase of 0.8 percent.

The Utica–Rome metro area picked up 800 positions in the past year, an increase of 0.6 percent.

The Watertown–Fort Drum region gained 500 jobs in the same period, a gain of 1.1 percent.

The Ithaca metro area also added 500 jobs, a rise of 0.8 percent between July 2016 and this past July.

The Binghamton region picked up 700 jobs, a 0.7 percent increase, in the last 12 months.

The Elmira metro area lost 500 jobs in the past year, a decline of 1.4 percent.

New York state as a whole gained more than 159,000 jobs, an increase of 1.7 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy gained more than 21,000 jobs, a 0.2 percent increase, in the last month, the labor department said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com