State gains jobs, unemployment rate edges up

New York’s economy added 21,300 private-sector jobs in February, according to the state Department of Labor.

Over the past year, the state added 138,500 net new private-sector jobs. The state has recouped 95 percent, or 309,200, of the private-sector jobs lost during the recession in 2008 and 2009 and was responsible for 10 percent of all new jobs created in the United States in February.

“The state is poised to regain all the private-sector jobs lost during the 2008-2009 recession,” said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, deputy director of the Labor Department’s Division of Research and Statistics.

Industries seeing the most job gains included professional and business services, which added 55,200 jobs, and educational and health services, which added 25,400 jobs.

Industries seeing the most job losses included information, which lost 5,900 jobs, and construction, which lost 4,600 jobs.

The Binghamton region gained 1,400 non-farm jobs and 2,200 private-sector jobs from February 2011 to February 2012.

The Syracuse area gained 1,500 non-farm jobs, but lost 500 private-sector jobs.

The Utica-Rome region showed strong gains with 2,000 non-farm jobs and 2,100 private-sector jobs.

The state’s unemployment rate rose slightly in February to 8.5 percent, up from 8.3 percent in January and up from 8.1 percent a year ago. The number of unemployed workers also increased from 787,900 in January to 805,800 in February.

The nation’s unemployment rate stayed steady at 8.3 percent in February, unchanged from January, and down from 9 percent a year ago.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@tmvbj.com