The lower Hudson Valley labor market added jobs in June and outpaced state and national job creation for the fourth straight month.
Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties increased nonfarm employment by an estimated 10,100 last month, or 1.4 percent, according to the state Department of Labor. That”™s twice as much as the state”™s 0.7 rate and nearly four times greater than the national 0.4 percent growth.
The three-county labor market had an estimated 729,800 nonfarm jobs in June. The private sector accounted for most of the growth, with 7,500 new jobs.
The market was bolstered by a strong showing in the government sector, with 2,600 new jobs, an increase of 2.3 percent. The state and nation, by comparison, lost government jobs.
The one-year regional numbers, from June to June, remained steady at 11,800 jobs and 1.6 percent growth.
Leisure and hospitality was the strongest sector, accounting for 5,700 new jobs last month in Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties. Trade, transportation and utilities added 1,700 jobs.
Local government, with 2,700 new jobs, was the strongest subsector, followed by accommodation and food services, 2,300, and health care and social assistance, 1,600.
The weakest sector in the three-county region was education and health services, with 1,400 fewer jobs. Education services was the weakest subsector, with 3,000 fewer jobs.
The broader, seven-county Hudson Valley region ”“ including Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster counties ”“ gained 12,500 jobs, or 1.3 percent in June.
New York state added 66,700 jobs in June.
The state unemployment rate ticked up to 4.5 percent, from 4.4 in May, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The unemployment estimate is seasonally adjusted. It is based on the current population survey and a monthly survey of 3,100 households.
The job counts are based on a survey of 18,000 New York employers. Monthly estimates are preliminary, are not seasonally adjusted and could be revised as more data become available.
