ALBANY – In October 2019, the number of private-sector jobs in New York State grew by 13,300, or 0.2%, to 8,305,800, a new, all-time high, according to preliminary figures released by the New York State Department of Labor. Since the beginning of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration, New York State’s economy has added 1,207,700 private-sector jobs.
Within the region, Sullivan County’s private employment sector continued to post the strongest gains year-over-year, up 10.6 percent. The second-fastest growth was recorded in the Kingston MSA (+1.6 percent), followed by the Dutchess-Putnam MSA (+1.2 percent), and the Orange-Rockland-Westchester labor market area (+0.9 percent).
For the 12-month period ending October 2019, private-sector jobs in the Hudson Valley increased by 10,300, or 1.3 percent, to 823,600. Gains were largest in leisure and hospitality (+5,400), educational and health services (+5,100), natural resources, mining and construction (+3,700), and financial activities (+1,300). Losses were largest in trade, transportation, and utilities (-3,000), other services (-1,100), and professional and business services (-600).
In October 2019, New York State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.9% to 4.0%. In January-October 2019, the jobless rate in New York State declined by 0.2 percentage points and the number of unemployed New Yorkers dropped by 18,500 compared to the same period in 2018.
The State’s private-sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly payroll employment estimates are preliminary and subject to revision as more data become available the following month. The federal government calculates New York State’s unemployment rate based partly upon the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.
“New York State’s labor market continued to strengthen in October 2019, reaching a new record high in private sector jobs as the State’s growth rate outpaced the comparable U.S. rate,” said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Director of the New York State Department of Labor’s Division of Research and Statistics.
