The U.S. Department of Labor counted 714,000 nonfarm jobs last year in the Lower Hudson Valley, for an increase of 7,600 and a growth rate of 1.1 percent for the year.
The job growth in Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties matched the statewide rate in 2016, but lagged national job creation.
New York added 8,200 jobs, or 1.1 percent, and the nation added more than 2 million jobs, or 1.4 percent.
The broader Hudson Valley region ”“ including Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster counties ”“ added 8,200 jobs, or 0.9 percent.
The largest regional sectors last year were health care and social assistance, 117,800 jobs; retail trade, 94,500; and local government, including education, 85,800.
Health care and social assistance also added the most jobs in 2016, at 5,300 or 4.5 percent. The sector was followed by administrative and support services, 4,300, and accommodation and food services, 2,800.
Natural resources, mining and construction lost 5,500 jobs, or 12.4 percent, last year.
The one-month snapshot for the Lower Hudson Valley shows a gain of 2,200 jobs, or 0.3 percent, from November to December. The broader, 7-county Hudson Valley showed no gains, and New York lost 10,500 jobs last month for a drop of 0.1 percent.
The state unemployment rate in December decreased to 4.9 percent from 5.0 percent the year before. National unemployment dropped even more, to 4.7 percent from 5.0 percent in 2016, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The agency bases the job numbers on a survey of 18,000 New York employers. The monthly estimates are preliminary and could be revised as more data become available. The unemployment rate is based on the current population survey and a monthly survey of 3,100 households.
