Report: Public authority system employment down 10 percent

Employment in the state’s public authority system fell 10 percent from its peak in 2009 to 2011, according to a report from the Albany Times-Union.

Last year, the state’s 350-plus public authorities employed 144,377 people, down from 160,472 employees in 2009, the report stated, citing data from the state Authorities Budget Office.

These quasi-government organizations include state-level entities such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York State Thruway Authority and the Westchester County Health Care Corp., which manages the Westchester Medical Center; in addition to industrial development agencies (IDAs) and local development corporations (LDCs), among others.