The Lower Hudson Valley reversed a two-month slide in jobs by adding 6,600 positions in October, according to state Department of Labor data.
Nonfarm employment in Westchester, Rockland and Orange counties increased by 0.9 percent, with solid growth across the private and government sectors.
Government added 2,800 jobs, for 2.6 percent growth in that sector. The private sector added 3,800 jobs, representing 0.6 percent growth.
The region also posted good numbers for the 12-month period, with 8,200 new jobs, or 1.1 percent growth from October 2016 to last month.
The greatest gains were in educational services, 3,200 new jobs, local government, 2,900 and retail trade, 1,200.
The weakest sectors were administrative and support services, 400 fewer jobs, and wholesale trade down by 300.
The three-county region unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4 percent, from 4.5.
The strongest local unemployment rates were in Port Chester, 3.2 percent; Rye, 3.4; and Monroe and Ramapo, 4 percent.
The worst unemployment rates were in Mount Vernon, 6.2 percent; Newburgh, 5.6, and Poughkeepsie and Yonkers, 5.3.
Job counts are based on a survey of 18,000 New York employers. Monthly estimates are preliminary and are not adjusted for seasonal influences, such as holidays and summer jobs.
Unemployment rates are calculated with a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics model and based partly on a survey of 3,100 households.
The two methods often result in different totals, and the numbers can be revised in following months as more information becomes available.
