State Labor Department Releases Preliminary December 2015 Area Unemployment Rates

Albany, NY (January 26, 2016) -

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for December 2015. Rates are calculated as prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The State’s unemployment rate relies in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.

From December 2014 to December 2015, the State’s private sector job count increased by 164,100. In December 2015, the number of private sector jobs in the State was 7,880,000, a new all-time high. The State’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labormonth. Revised estimates for prior months are available at: http://labor.ny.gov/stats/LSLAUS.shtm

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the most up-to-date estimates of persons employed and unemployed by place of residence. Estimates are available for New York State, labor market regions, metropolitan areas, counties, and municipalities with population of at least 25,000.