By Jim Orr,
The New York State Department of Labor reported that employment statewide increased by 98,000 (seasonally adjusted) in May, a recovery of about 5.0 % of the nearly 2 million jobs lost in the March/April period. This gain was below the nationwide recovery in May of about 11.0 % of the jobs lost. The bulk of May’s job gains in the state occurred outside of New York City: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employment in the city was up by 6,000 in May, after having fallen by 944,000 in March/April.
New York State’s unemployment rate fell to 14.5% in May from 15.3% in April. The state’s rate was moderately above the 13.3% unemployment rate nationwide in May. The unemployment rate in New York City rose to 18.3% in May from 15.0% in April.
The New York State Department of Labor reported filings of initial claims for Unemployment Insurance in the state totaled 97,000 during the week ending June 13; one month ago (the week ending May 16) new filings totaled 229,000. In New York City, filings of initial claims for Unemployment Insurance totaled 50,000 during the week ending June 13; one month ago the number of new filings was more than 116,000.