New York State
Department of Labor

Albany, NY (October 20, 2011) -

New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0% in September 2011, unchanged from August 2011, the State Labor Department reported today. The number of unemployed New Yorkers inched up over the month - increasing from 755,900 in August to 759,000 in September 2011.

New York State's private sector job count increased by 14,700, or 0.2%, in September 2011. This figure reflects the end of a strike at Verizon that brought 16,000 people back to work in New York State. Since the state's economic recovery began in November 2009, New York has recouped 180,900, or 54%, of the private sector jobs lost during the 2008-2009 recession.

"Over the past year, New York State has added nearly 100,000 private sector jobs. Our statewide unemployment rate held steady at 8.0% over the month, remaining below the U.S. rate of 9.1%," said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics.

Note: The data above are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison. Non-seasonally adjusted data are valuable in year-to-year comparisons of the same month; for example, September 2010 versus September 2011.

1) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):

In September 2011, New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0%, unchanged from August 2011. The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged -- at 9.1% -- in September 2011.

 

2) Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and Extended Benefits (EB) programs:

During the week that included September 12, 2011, 418,495 people, including 382,720 who live in New York State, received benefits under the regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08), or federal Extended Benefits (EB) programs. Residents who received benefits under these programs made up 50% of the total unemployed in the state in September 2011.

As of October 10, 2011, the maximum number of weeks of all unemployment benefits available to claimants in New York State is 93. Without Congressional action on the President's American Jobs Act, which would provide extended unemployment benefits through 2012, the last week payable for EB in New York State is the week ending January 8, 2012, and the last week payable for EUC is the week ending June 10, 2012.

Prior to October 10, 2011, New Yorkers were eligible for only 13 weeks of Extended Benefits (EB). Because New York State's average unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) was 8.0% for the three months ending August 2011, New York State qualified for an additional seven weeks of federally funded EB, or up to 20 weeks of EB, effective October 10, 2011.

People who filed a new claim during the week beginning July 4, 2011 or later may only receive up to 26 weeks of regular Unemployment Insurance. The unemployed are encouraged to use the Department's online Unemployment Insurance calculator to estimate the maximum number of weeks they may receive. See the calculator on the Department of Labor's web site or go here: http://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/claimantinfo/UIBenefitsCalculator.shtm

 

3) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):

U.S. and New York State, August 2011 - September 2011

The table below compares the over-the-month change in total nonfarm and private sector jobs in the United States and New York State between August 2011 and September 2011.

 

4) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

U.S., New York State, Major Regions, and Metro Areas: September 2010 - September 2011

The table below compares the over-the-year change in total nonfarm and private sector jobs in the United States, New York State, the Upstate and Downstate regions, and metro areas in the state between September 2010 and September 2011.

 

Job highlights since September 2010:

• Since September 2010, the number of private sector jobs in the state increased by 99,700, or 1.4%. Over the same time frame, the nation's private sector job count increased by 1.7%.
• Private sector jobs grew by 0.9% over the past year in the 10-county Downstate region. Job gains in the Downstate region were centered in New York City, which grew by 1.3%.
• In the 52-county Upstate region, private sector jobs grew by 1.0% over the past year. Upstate's employment gains were most rapid in the region's metro areas, which grew by 1.2%.
• Over the past year, private sector jobs grew most rapidly in these metro areas:
  • Utica-Rome (+2.9%)
  • Rochester (+2.5%)
  • Putnam-Rockland-Westchester (+1.7%)
  • Binghamton (+1.5%)
  • New York City (+1.3%)
• Ithaca (-1.2%) and Nassau-Suffolk (-0.8%) were the only metro areas in the state that lost private sector jobs between September 2010 and September 2011.

5) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

Change in jobs by major industry sector, September 2010 - September 2011

The table below compares the over-the-year change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State between September 2010 and September 2011.

 

Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since September 2010:

• Educational and health services added the most private sector jobs (+40,600) of any sector in the state between September 2010 and September 2011. Most job gains in that sector were in educational services (+32,400).
• Professional and business (+30,200) had the second largest increase in jobs over the past year. Sector job gains were greatest in professional, scientific and technical services (+14,600), and administrative and support services (+13,200).
• Sector job gains in leisure and hospitality (+11,200) were focused in accommodation and food services (+17,200), especially food services and drinking places (+16,000).

Highlights among NYS sectors with job losses since September 2010:

• The government sector lost more jobs than any other sector (-9,300). Government employment declines were greatest at the federal (-5,500) and local (-3,200) levels.
• The manufacturing job count also declined (-2,900) over the past year. Factory losses were centered in non-durable goods (-2,500), especially printing and related activities (-3,000).

 

6) Characteristics of the unemployed, New York State (not seasonally adjusted):

The tables below compare the 12-month moving average unemployment rate in New York State by racial/ethnic group and by level of education. All data come from the Current Population Survey, which is a monthly survey of households conducted by the Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the past year, the unemployment rate has dropped for all racial/ethnic groups in New York State.

Note: The responsibility for the production of monthly estimates of state and metro area nonfarm employment by industry moved from the Division of Research and Statistics to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), starting with March 2011 estimates. More detailed information on the change is available on the BLS web site.

Many economic data series have a seasonal pattern, which means they tend to occur at the same time each year (e.g., retail jobs usually increase in December). Seasonal adjustment is the process of removing seasonal effects from a data series. This is done to simplify the data so that they may be more easily interpreted and help to reveal true underlying trends. Seasonal adjustment permits comparisons of data from one month to data from any other month.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We survey 18,000 business establishments to get jobs data for New York State by industry. The jobs data do not include agricultural workers, the self-employed, unpaid family workers and domestic workers in private households.

 

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