State's Unemployment Rate Remained at 8.0% in August

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NYSDOL September 15, 2011 Job Numbers Report

ALBANY, NY (09/15/2011)(readMedia)-- New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0% in August 2011, unchanged from July 2011 – the State Labor Department reported today. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased slightly over the month -- from 755,900 in July to 756,400 in August 2011.

New York State's private sector job count declined by 30,700, or 0.4%, in August 2011. Most of the state's private sector job losses in August were temporary and related to the Verizon strike, which included 17,000 striking workers in New York. Since the state's economic recovery began in November 2009, New York has recouped 48%, or 160,900, of the private sector jobs lost during the 2008-2009 recession.

"Like the nation as a whole, the state's economic recovery slowed in August. The state's unemployment rate held steady at 8.0% over the month, remaining well below the U.S. rate of 9.1%," said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics.

Note: The data above are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data 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, August 2010 versus August 2011.

1) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):

In August 2011, New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0%, unchanged from July 2011. Persons on strike are not counted as employed for the establishment payroll survey. The payroll survey determines the job count in the state. Striking workers are, however, counted as employed when calculating labor force statistics and therefore do not impact the unemployment rate. The U.S. unemployment rate also remained unchanged -- at 9.1% -- in August 2011.

Unemployment Rates (%)*