New York State
Department of Labor

Albany, NY (September 20, 2012) -

In 2012, New York State’s economy added 102,700 private sector jobs, the State Department of Labor reported today. This year-to-date increase in the job count contributed to the state’s recovery of 348,000 private sector jobs since November 2009. New York State has regained all of the private sector jobs it lost during the state’s recession. Only four other states have regained all of the private sector jobs lost in the recession.

In August 2012, New York State’s economy added 3,300 private sector jobs. The private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL). Due to the sample size, this survey is considered a reliable gauge of the state’s economy for any given month.

New York State has regained all of the jobs it lost during the recession and added over 102,000 private sector jobs this year alone. Further, first-time unemployment claims are down 10% from a year ago.

By contrast, the unemployment rate as determined by USDOL is calculated primarily on the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 households (out of more than 7 million) in New York State. According to the survey, New York State's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.1% in August 2012. Due to the small sample size, this survey is not comprehensive.

"New York State added more than 102,000 private sector jobs in 2012 alone and is among only five states in the nation to regain all of the jobs lost in the recession. New York continues to see steady job growth and a decrease in first-time unemployment claims," 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, August 2011 versus August 2012.

See charts: Number of Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance, August 2011 and August 2012; and Over-the-Month Change in Private Sector Employment, January 2012 – August 2012.

1) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):

U.S. and New York State, July 2012 - August 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 July 2012 and August 2012.

 

2) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):

The state’s unemployment rate, as determined by USDOL, is calculated primarily on the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 people, remained unchanged at 9.1% in August 2012. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased slightly over the month -- from 869,400 in July 2012 to 872,100 in August 2012.

 

3) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

U.S., New York State, Major Regions, and Metro Areas: August 2011 - August 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 August 2011 and August 2012.

 

Job highlights since August 2011:

• Since August 2011, the number of private sector jobs in the state increased by 132,600, or 1.8%. Over the same time frame, the nation's private sector job count also increased by 1.8%.
• In the 10-county Downstate region, private sector jobs grew by 2.3% over the past year. Within the Downstate region, jobs grew by 2.9% in New York City and by 1.1% in the suburban counties.
• In the 52-county Upstate region, the private sector job count grew by 0.9% over the past year, with job growth occurring in both the region's metro areas (+0.9%) and in counties outside of metro areas (+0.8%).
• Over the past year, private sector jobs grew most rapidly in these metro areas in the state:
  • Utica-Rome (+4.4%)
  • New York City (+2.9%)
  • Putnam-Rockland-Westchester (+2.1%)
  • Rochester (+2.0%)
• The metro areas in the state that lost private sector jobs between August 2011 and August 2012 were:
  • Elmira (-3.6%)
  • Glens Falls (-1.2%)
  • Binghamton (-0.7%)

4) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

Change in jobs by major industry sector, August 2011 - August 2012

The table below compares the over-the-year change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State between August 2011 and August 2012.

 

Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since August 2011:

• Professional and business services added the most jobs (+56,500) of any sector between August 2011 and August 2012. Sector job gains over this period were focused in professional, scientific and technical services (+34,900) and administrative and support services (+20,400).
• Private educational and health services (+38,100) had the second largest increase in jobs over the past year. Sector employment gains occurred in both health care and social assistance (+19,100) and educational services (+19,000).

Highlights among NYS sectors with job losses since August 2011:

• Over the past year, government lost more jobs (-15,300) than any other sector in the state. Job losses in the government sector were concentrated at the local (-10,700) level.
• The construction sector lost 10,800 jobs. Sector job losses were concentrated in specialty trade contractors (-10,400).

 

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

For New York, during the week that included August 12, 2012, there were 399,845 people (including 366,965 who live in the state) who received benefits under:

• Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI),
• Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC), or
• Federal Extended Benefits (EB) programs.

New Yorkers who received unemployment insurance made up 42% of the total unemployed in the state in August 2012.

In February 2012, Congress passed an extension of EUC and EB through December 2012. However, since then there have been significant changes to the maximum number of weeks of benefits available to the unemployed in New York State. People who filed a new claim during the week that began June 25, 2012 or later are likely to only receive up to 26 weeks of regular UI.

• On September 2, 2012, the weeks of available benefits in EUC Tier 1 were reduced from 20 to 14. In addition, the weeks of available benefits in EUC Tier 3 were reduced from 13 to 9.
• On September 9, 2012, EUC Tier 4 ended in New York State. Claimants who exhausted Tier 3 benefits by September 9, 2012 may continue to collect up to 6 weeks of Tier 4 benefits through December 2012. Claimants who exhausted Tier 3 after September 9, 2012 moved to EB on September 16, 2012.
• On September 16, 2012, claimants in New York State again became eligible for up to 20 weeks of EB. This is because the 3-month average seasonally adjusted unemployment rate again meets the federal criteria. Unemployed claimants who had received fewer than 20 weeks of EB when it ended in June 2012 may pick up where they left off and continue to receive EB. Claimants who exhaust Tier 4 prior to December 30, 2012 will move into EB. Claimants who exhaust Tier 3 on or after September 16, 2012, but prior to December 30, 2012, will also move into EB.

See the table below for the maximum number of weeks available under the new federal regulations.

 

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)