New York State’s private sector job count grew by 17,300, or 0.2 percent, in July 2014, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. This latest monthly employment gain raised New York State’s overall private sector job count to 7,603,300, an all-time high. The state’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.6% in July 2014, remaining at its lowest level since November 2008.

Since the beginning of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, the state’s economy has added 500,700 private sector jobs and experienced employment growth in 38 of the past 43 months. July 2014 marked New York State’s 20th consecutive month of private sector job growth, the state’s longest streak on record since at least 1990.

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’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.

“With 17,300 new jobs added in July 2014, New York State now marks 20 straight months of private sector job growth, the longest streak since at least 1990, as far as records go back. In addition, our state’s jobless rate remained at its lowest level in more than five and a half years,” said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Deputy Director of the 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 2013 versus July 2014.

1) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):

U.S. and New York State, June - July 2014

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 2014.

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. The statewide unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.6% in July 2014. The number of unemployed New Yorkers also decreased over the month -- from 634,500 in June 2014 to 631,800 in July 2014.

3) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

U.S., New York State, Major Regions, and Metro Areas: July 2013 - July 2014

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, the Upstate and Downstate regions, and metro areas in the state between July 2013 and July 2014.

Job highlights since July 2013:

• In the 10-county Downstate region, private sector jobs grew by 2.4% over the past year. Downstate’s private sector job growth was most rapid in New York City (+3.0%) and in Nassau-Suffolk (+1.6%).
• In the 52-county Upstate region, the private sector job count grew by 0.9% over the past year. Private sector job growth occurred in both the region’s metro areas (+1.0%) and in counties outside of metro areas (+0.3%).
• Over the past year, private sector jobs grew most rapidly in these metro areas:
  • New York City (+3.0%)
  • Kingston (+2.2%)
  • Nassau-Suffolk (+1.6%)
  • Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown (+1.6%)
  • Albany-Schenectady-Troy (+1.5%)
  • Buffalo-Niagara Falls (+1.5%)
  • Utica-Rome (+1.5%)
• The only metro area in the state to lose private sector jobs between July 2013 and July 2014 was Syracuse (-1.2%).

4) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

Change in jobs by major industry sector, July 2013 – July 2014

The table below compares the over-the-year change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State occurring between July 2013 and July 2014.

Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since July 2013:

• Private educational and health services added the most jobs (+53,400) of any major industry sector over the past year. Sector employment gains were centered in health care and social assistance (+27,700), especially ambulatory health care services (+16,900).
• Professional and business services had the second largest increase in jobs (+30,600) between July 2013 and July 2014. Over the past year, sector job gains were mostly in professional, scientific and technical services (+16,500), and administrative and support services (+11,500).
• The third largest employment increase over the past year was registered in trade, transportation and utilities (+28,200), with most sector gains in retail trade (+16,000) and transportation, warehousing and utilities (+10,600).

Highlights among NYS sectors with job losses since July 2013:

• Over the past year, manufacturing lost more jobs (-9,200) than any other major industry sector. Manufacturing sector job losses between July 2013 and July 2014 were split between durable goods (-5,600) and nondurable goods (-3,600).
• Between July 2013 and July 2014, government job losses (-6,200) were greatest at the local level (-4,200).

5) Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI):

For New York State, during the week that included July 12, 2014, there were 151,400 people (including 140,023 who live in the state) who received benefits under the regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) program.

New York State residents who received Unemployment Insurance benefits made up 22% of the total unemployed in the state in July 2014.

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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