Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions all declined in June compared to a year ago, according to New York State Department of Labor data released July 23. On the job-growth front, the Syracuse and Ithaca areas gained jobs between June 2018 and this past June, while the Utica–Rome […]
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions all declined in June compared to a year ago, according to New York State Department of Labor data released July 23.
On the job-growth front, the Syracuse and Ithaca areas gained jobs between June 2018 and this past June, while the Utica–Rome region lost jobs in the same period.
In the Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions, there was no change in jobs the last 12 months.
That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued July 18.
Regional unemployment rates
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area dipped to 3.6 percent in June from 4.3 percent in June 2018.
The Utica–Rome region’s jobless rate fell to 4 percent from 4.3 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area’s rate slipped to 4.2 percent from 4.7 percent; in the Binghamton region, it declined to 4 percent from 4.7 percent; in the Ithaca area, the rate dipped to 3.4 percent from 4.2 percent; and in the Elmira region, the unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent from 4.7 percent in the year-earlier period.
The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires.
The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.
State unemployment rate
New York state’s unemployment rate remained at 4 percent in June for a second straight month. It was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in June.
The June statewide unemployment figure of 4 percent was down from 4.1 percent in June 2018, according to department figures.
The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 state households that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts.
June job-growth data
The Syracuse region gained 7,100 jobs in the past year, a 2.2 percent increase.
The Utica–Rome region lost 600 jobs, a decrease of 0.7 percent; the Ithaca area gained 1,400 positions, an increase of 2.2 percent; the Binghamton region had no change in jobs; the Watertown–Fort Drum region was unchanged; and the Elmira region also had no change.
New York state as a whole gained more than 111,000 jobs, an increase of 1.1 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy gained nearly 13,000 jobs, a 0.1 percent rise, in June compared to May, the labor department said.
