Albany, NY (April 19, 2012) -
New York State's economy added 21,500 private sector jobs, or 0.3%, in March 2012, the State Labor Department reported today. Since the beginning of the state's economic recovery in November 2009, New York has added 332,900 private sector jobs and regained all of the private sector jobs it lost during the recession. Moreover, the state's private sector job count -- 7,317,400 -- stands at an all-time high.
Year over year, from March 2011 to March 2012, New York State has added 155,000 private sector jobs.
"New York State's private sector job count hit an all-time high of more than 7.3 million in March 2012. What we have recouped now surpasses the total private sector jobs lost during the state's recession in 2008-2009," 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, March 2011 versus March 2012.
1) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):
The state's unemployment rate for March 2012 held steady at 8.5%. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased over the month -- from 804,700 in February to 811,500 in March 2012. In March 2012, the state's labor force grew by 8,200, as more job seekers entered the workforce.
| *Data are preliminary and subject to change, based on standard procedures outlined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. | |||
| March 2012* | February 2012 | March 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.9 |
| New York State | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 |
| New York City | 9.7 | 9.6 | 8.8 |
| NYS, outside NYC | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.5 |
2) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):
U.S. and New York State, February 2012 - March 2012
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 February 2012 and March 2012.
| Change in Total Nonfarm Jobs: (private sector + government) |
Change in Private Sector Jobs: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Net |
% |
Net |
% |
| United States | +120,000 | +0.1% | +121,000 | +0.1% |
| New York State | +19,100 | +0.2% | +21,500 | +0.3% |
3) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):
U.S., New York State, Major Regions, and Metro Areas: March 2011 - March 2012
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 March 2011 and March 2012.
| Change in Total Nonfarm Jobs: (private sector + government) |
Change in Private Sector Jobs: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Net |
%
|
Net |
%
| |
| United States | +1,949,000 | +1.5% | +2,218,000 | +2.0% |
| New York State | +148,100 | +1.7% | +149,300 | +2.1% |
| Downstate NY (10-co. area) | +90,600 | +1.6% | +94,200 | +2.0% |
| New York City | +65,700 | +1.8% | +68,700 | +2.1% |
| Suburban Counties | +24,900 | +1.4% | +25,500 | +1.7% |
| Nassau-Suffolk | +19,900 | +1.6% | +20,100 | +2.0% |
| Putnam-Rockland-Westchester | +5,000 | +0.9% | +5,400 | +1.2% |
| Upstate NY (52-co. area) | +36,700 | +1.2% | +39,800 | +1.7% |
| Metro Areas | +36,500 | +1.5% | +36,500 | +1.8% |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | +7,600 | +1.8% | +8,000 | +2.4% |
| Binghamton | +2,600 | +2.4% | +3,200 | +3.9% |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls | +5,400 | +1.0% | +5,000 | +1.1% |
| Elmira | -1,200 | -3.0% | -800 | -2.5% |
| Glens Falls | +2,500 | +4.8% | +3,200 | +7.8% |
| Ithaca | -4,500 | -6.7% | -4,000 | -7.0% |
| Kingston | +2,100 | +3.5% | +2,400 | +5.4% |
| Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown | +3,400 | +1.4% | +3,400 | +1.7% |
| Rochester | +12,300 | +2.5% | +11,800 | +2.8% |
| Syracuse | +2,800 | +0.9% | +800 | +0.3% |
| Utica-Rome | +3,500 | +2.8% | +3,500 | +3.8% |
| Non-metro Counties | +200 | 0.0% | +3,300 | +0.8% |
Job highlights since March 2011:
4) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):
Change in jobs by major industry sector, March 2011 - March 2012
The table below compares the over-the-year change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State between March 2011 and March 2012.
| *The educational and health services category is in the private sector. Government includes public education and health services. | |||
| Sectors With Job Gains: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional & Business Services | +58,200 | ||
| Educational & Health Services* | +40,500 | ||
| Leisure & Hospitality | +25,400 | ||
| Trade, Transportation & Utilities | +21,100 | ||
| Financial Activities | +14,000 | ||
| Sectors With Job Losses: | |||
| Construction | -6,100 | ||
| Information | -3,400 | ||
| Government* | -1,200 | ||
| Manufacturing | -300 | ||
| Other Services | -100 | ||
Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since March 2011:
Highlights among NYS sectors with job losses since March 2011:
5) Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and Extended Benefits (EB) programs:
For New York, during the week that included March 12, 2012, there were 476,807 people (including 437,461 who live in the state) who received benefits under:
New Yorkers who received unemployment insurance made up 54% of the total unemployed in the state in March 2012.
Currently, Unemployment Insurance claimants in New York State may receive up to 93 weeks of benefits. In February 2012, Congress passed an extension of EUC and EB through December 2012. However, we expect New York State will no longer be eligible for EB as of late spring. At that time, the maximum number of weeks of benefits will be 73 until September 2012, when new EUC provisions take effect. See the table that follows for the maximum number of weeks available under the new federal regulations.
| Program: | Current | Spring 2012 | September 2012 | January 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular UI | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| EUC Total | 47 | 47 | 37 | 0 |
|
Tier 1 |
20 | 20 | 14 | 0 |
|
Tier 2 |
14 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
|
Tier 3 |
13 | 13 | 9 | 0 |
| EB | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 93 | 73 | 63 | 26 |
People who file a new claim during the week that begins June 25, 2012 or later are likely to only receive up to 26 weeks of regular UI. We encourage people to use the Department's online Unemployment Insurance calculator to estimate how many weeks they may receive. See the calculator on the State Department of Labor's website or go here: http://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/claimantinfo/ UIBenefitsCalculator.shtm
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.
See State and Area Job Data (opens in new window)
See Labor Market Overview (opens in new window)
See Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet (opens in new window)
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