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Buffalo Job Count Spiked in October

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Buffalo was part of the largest labor surge in the past five years across New York state in October, picking up 3,100 private-sector jobs, or 0.7 percent, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.

Year-over-year private-sector job growth could also be found in Albany (+2,800, 0.8 percent), Rochester (+1,500, 0.4 percent) and Syracuse (+1,900, 0.7 percent).

In all, New York state’s economy gained 40,500 private-sector jobs, or 0.6 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the report showed. That marked the state’s largest monthly increase since April 2005.

“New York state’s labor market has regained some of the momentum it lost earlier this year. In October, we added 40,500 private sector jobs — the most since April 2005. In addition, our unemployment rate held steady at 8.3 percent, remaining well below the nation’s rate of 9.6 percent,” said Norman Steele, deputy director of the division of research and statistics.

Nonfarm jobs statewide also increased in October 2010, rising by 40,600, or 0.5 percent. In Buffalo the nonfarm increase was 1,200, or 0.2 percent. The nonfarm job count tracks all jobs in the private and public sectors but does not count the self-employed or workers on farms.

Some of the difference in private/nonfarm jobs may be found in the number of public-sector workers who have opted for retirement under various buyout incentives. The labor department said there were 37,700 fewer government employees in New York in October than a year ago.

The Buffalo area unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent from 7.9 percent in October 2009.

Also New York state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.3 percent between September and October 2010. The number of unemployed New Yorkers dropped very slightly, slipping from 798,600 in September to 797,800 in October 2010. The statewide labor force rose by 1,200 over this period.