Most Central New York jobless rates rose in September

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Ithaca regions all rose in September compared to a year ago.

At the same time, the jobless rate in the Elmira area remained unchanged in the last 12 months. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released Oct. 22.

On the job-growth side, the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Ithaca, and Elmira regions gained jobs between September 2018 and this past September. 

Meanwhile, the Binghamton area lost jobs in the same period, while the Watertown–Fort Drum region had no change in jobs in the last year.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued Oct. 17.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 3.9 percent in September, up from 3.6 percent in September 2018.

The Utica–Rome region’s rate in September was 3.9 percent, up from 3.7 percent a year prior; in the Watertown–Fort Drum area, the rate rose to 4.7 percent from 4.1 percent; in the Binghamton region, it increased to 4.2 percent from 3.9 percent; the Ithaca region saw unemployment rise to 3.5 percent from 3.3 percent in the same month in 2018; and the Elmira area saw its rate hold steady at 4 percent in September.

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 decreased from 4 percent in August to 3.9 percent in September, the department said. Still, that was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.5 percent in September.

Also, the August statewide unemployment figure of 3.9 percent was up compared to the 3.8 percent number reported a year prior, 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.

September jobs data

The Syracuse region gained 8,800 jobs in the past year, a gain of 2.7 percent.

The Utica–Rome metro area picked up 500 jobs, an increase of 0.4 percent; the Ithaca area added 4,200 jobs, an increase of 6.5 percent; the Elmira region gained 100 jobs, a rise of 0.3 percent; and the Watertown–Fort Drum region saw no change in jobs in the past year, per the state Labor Department data. 

Bucking the trend, the Binghamton region lost 200 jobs, a decrease of 0.2 percent, in the last 12 months. 

New York state as a whole gained more than 123,000 jobs, an increase of 1.3 percent, in the past year. The state economy gained 7,200 jobs, or 0.1 percent, in September from August, the labor department said.