In July 2016, New York State’s private sector job count increased by 36,200, or 0.5%, to 7,951,900, a new record high, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. This represents the state’s largest monthly private sector job gain since September 2013. Since the beginning of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, New York State’s economy has added 857,600 private sector jobs and experienced employment growth in 58 of the past 67 months.

The statewide unemployment rate was unchanged from June’s level of 4.7%, and remained below the comparable U.S. rate of 4.9% in July 2016. New York’s statewide unemployment rate remained at its lowest level since August 2007.

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 becomes 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 advance in July 2016, reaching a new record high in private sector jobs. In addition, the state’s monthly gain in private sector jobs was New York’s largest in almost three years,” said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Deputy Director of the New York State Department of Labor’s Division of Research and Statistics.

Note: Seasonally adjusted data are used to 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, July 2015 versus July 2016.

U.S. and New York State: June – July 2016

1) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):

The table below compares the over-the-month change in total nonfarm and private sector jobs in the United States and New York State in June-July 2016.

2) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):

The State’s unemployment rate is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, using a statistical regression model that primarily uses the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month. In July 2016, the statewide unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.7%. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased slightly, from 451,600 in June to 452,500, in July 2016.

U.S., New York State and Metro Areas: July 2015 – July 2016

1) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

The table that follows compares the over-the-year change in total nonfarm and private sector jobs that occurred in the United States, New York State and metro areas within the State between July 2015 and July 2016.

Job highlights since July 2015:

• Over the past year, 10 metro areas in New York State gained private sector jobs, with the most rapid growth in these metro areas:
  • Ithaca (+3.7%)
  • Watertown-Fort Drum (+3.7%)
  • Kingston (+3.3%)
  • New York City (+2.6%)
  • Orange-Rockland-Westchester (+2.2%)
• Over the past year, five metro areas in the state – Elmira (-1.8%), Binghamton (-1.2%), Glens Falls (-0.6%), Albany-Schenectady-Troy (-0.5%) and Syracuse (-0.3%) – lost private sector jobs.

Change in jobs by major industry sector: July 2015 – July 2016

1) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

The table below compares the over-the-year change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State occurring between July 2015 and July 2016.

Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since July 2015:

• Private educational and health services added the most jobs (+52,700) of any major industry sector over the past year. Sector job gains were mostly in health care and social assistance (+38,400), especially ambulatory health care (+21,100).
• The second largest employment increase over the past year occurred in leisure and hospitality (+30,200). Sector gains were centered in accommodation and food services (+26,400), especially food services and drinking places (+27,300).
• Other services had the third largest increase in jobs (+10,100) between July 2015 and July 2016. Over the past year, sector job gains were mostly in grant-making and -giving services (+5,900), and personal and laundry services (+3,400).
• Over the past year, trade, transportation and utilities added 9,900 jobs, which was the fourth largest increase of any major industry sector in the state. Sector job gains were mostly in transportation, warehousing and utilities (+10,600), especially transportation and warehousing (+9,500).

Highlights among NYS sectors with job losses since July 2015:

• Over the past 12 months, manufacturing lost the most jobs (-4,200) of any major industry sector in New York. Job losses were focused in durable goods (-5,400), especially fabricated metals (-6,300).

Unemployment Insurance Benefits: July 2016

1) Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI):

For New York State, during the week that included July 12, 2016, there were 128,812 people (including 118,551 who live in the State) who received benefits under the regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.

In July 2016, New York State residents who received Unemployment Insurance benefits made up 26% of the total unemployed.

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 the 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. In New York State, payroll jobs data by industry come from a monthly survey of 18,000 business establishments. Jobs data by industry do not include agricultural workers, the self-employed, unpaid family workers or domestic workers in private households.

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See Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet (opens in new window)