Sullivan remains bright spot in region for new jobs, lower unemployment

ALBANY – Columbia County had the lowest unemployment in the region in April at 3.8 percent. It was the only county in the Hudson Valley/Catskills to break the 4.0 percent mark. Columbia’s unemployment rate was third lowest in the state, only behind New York County and Queens County.
Unemployment region-wide in April was 4.2 percent. Joblessness did increase by 0.1 percent over April 2017, according to statistics from the state Labor Department.
Putnam County had the second lowest rate at 4.0 percent, followed by Dutchess and Rockland counties, each with 4.1 percent joblessness.
Ulster and Westchester east registered 4.2 percent unemployment, while Orange County had a 4.4 percent, Sullivan had 4.7 percent joblessness and Greene County had 5.4 percent unemployment.
Sullivan remains the shining star in the region with 9.5 percent new jobs, thanks to the casino, which opened in February.
Labor Department Analyst John Nelson said Sullivan will continue to see a strengthening economy. “The outlook for Sullivan County is certainly positive with all these upcoming attractions. Certainly the waterpark is going to add several hundred jobs as well as the wellness center so that will bode well for job seekers, not only in the region, but especially for Sullivan County,” Nelson said.
Putnam County was ranked sixth in the state; Dutchess and Rockland were ranked 10th; Ulster and Westchester each were each rated 13th in the state.
Orange County was ranked 18th; Sullivan County was ranked 23rd; and Greene County was ranked 36th.