State's Unemployment Rate Remained at 8% in September

ALBANY, NY (10/20/2011)(readMedia)-- New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0% in September 2011, unchanged from August 2011, the State Labor Department reported today. The number of unemployed New Yorkers inched up over the month – increasing from 755,900 in August to 759,000 in September 2011.

New York State's private sector job count increased by 14,700, or 0.2%, in September 2011. This figure reflects the end of a strike at Verizon that brought 16,000 people back to work in New York State. Since the state's economic recovery began in November 2009, New York has recouped 180,900, or 54%, of the private sector jobs lost during the 2008-2009 recession.

"Over the past year, New York State has added nearly 100,000 private sector jobs. Our statewide unemployment rate held steady at 8.0% over the month, remaining 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, September 2010 versus September 2011.

1) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):

In September 2011, New York State's unemployment rate was 8.0%, unchanged from August 2011. The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged -- at 9.1% -- in September 2011.

Unemployment Rates (%)*

*Data are preliminary and subject to change, based on standard procedures outlined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

See State and Area Jobs Data

See Labor Market Overview

See Jobs and Unemployment Fact Sheet

For more information, please see the attached NYSDOL October 20, 2011 Job Numbers Report.