According to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor, the number of private sector jobs in New York State increased over the month by 29,400, or 0.4%, to 7,323,500 in January 2021. By comparison, the number of private sector jobs in the U.S. increased by less than 0.1% in January 2021.

In addition, New York State's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 8.7% to 8.8% in January 2021.

The number of private sector jobs in New York State is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York businesses conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Monthly payroll employment estimates are preliminary and subject to revision as more complete data become available the following month. The BLS calculates New York State’s unemployment rate based partly upon the results of the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) of approximately 3,100 households in the State.

Jobs data are revised at the end of each year for all states and the nation as more complete information becomes available from employers’ Unemployment Insurance records. This process is called “benchmarking” and is federally mandated. For more details, see Annual Benchmark Analysis (opens in new window).

Labor force data, including unemployment rates, are also revised at the end of each year, using methods established by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The revised labor force data show that New York State’s annual average unemployment rate increased from 3.8% in 2019 to 10.0% in 2020.

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, January 2020 versus January 2021.
 

United States and New York State: December – January 2021

1) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):

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

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 from the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) of approximately 3,100 households in New York State.

In January 2021, the statewide unemployment rate increased from 8.7% to 8.8%. New York City’s unemployment rate increased over the month from 12.0% to 12.6%. Outside of New York City, the unemployment rate decreased from 6.3% to 6.1%.

The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased over the month by 10,800, from 805,900 in December 2020 to 816,700 in January 2021.

United States, New York State and Metro Areas: January 2020 – January 2021

1) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

The following table compares the changes in total nonfarm and private sector jobs occurring in the U.S., New York State and metro areas in the state, between January 2020 and January 2021.

Change in jobs by major industry sector: January 2020 – January 2021

1) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

The table below compares the change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State occurring between January 2020 and January 2021.

Note: The responsibility for the production of monthly estimates of state and metro area nonfarm employment by industry moved from the NYS Department of Labor’s 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 website.

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.

In New York State, payroll jobs data by industry come from a monthly survey of 18,000 business establishments conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data are preliminary and subject to revision. Jobs data by industry do not include agricultural workers, the self-employed, unpaid family workers or domestic workers in private households.

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

See State and Area Job Data (opens in new window)
See Labor Market Overview (opens in new window)
See Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet (opens in new window)