N.Y. has all-time high 7.3 million jobs

• Tweet

ALBANY, N.Y., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- New York state has an all-time high 7.3 million job count after adding 5,900 private-sector jobs in the latest month, the state Labor Department said Thursday.

The state's unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 8.7 percent in October and New York City's fell to 9.3 percent from 9.5 percent, said the department, which reported its figures nearly two weeks after the U.S. Labor Department reported national figures.

The October U.S. unemployment rate, reported Nov. 2, was 7.9 percent, up a notch from September's 7.8 percent.

New York state added 9,400 non-farm jobs in October, the state Labor Department said. The number of unemployed in the state dropped 17,500 to 830,600.

New York City's economy is the biggest regional economy in the United States and the world's second-largest city economy after Tokyo's. The state's economy is No. 3 in the country, behind those of California and Texas.

The city's non-farm job growth, including the private sector and government, was up 2.6 percent compared with the same month last year, as employers added 98,400 non-farm jobs between October 2011 and last month. Private-sector job growth alone in the city was up 2.9 percent, or 94,400 jobs, year to year, the department said.

Ithaca, in central New York, had the state's highest year-to-year non-farm job growth, at 3.7 percent. New York City was second, followed by Kingston, 90 miles north of New York City, at 1.5 percent, the department said.

New York City, Ithaca and Kingston accounted for the greatest job growth in the state so far this year, the department said.