- Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square contributor/June 18th, 2021
(The Center Square) – Jobs data released Thursday shows New York gained private-sector jobs in May but not at the same rate as the rest of the country.
The New York State Department of Labor said the number of jobs grew by 17,500, or 0.2%, last month as there are now nearly 7.5 million jobs in the state.
Nationally, the number of private-sector jobs grew at a 0.4% clip, meaning 492,000 new jobs were created.
New York’s unemployment rate went from 8.2% in April to 7.8% last month. That’s still significantly higher than the U.S. average of 5.8%.
In addition, while the state’s unemployment rate went down, so too did its labor participation rate, which accounts for the percentage of working-age individuals – people 16 or older – who are either working or actively seeking a job. It went from 61.4% in April to 60.9% last month.
New York City continues to be the main drag on the statewide numbers. According to the DOL, the city’s unemployment rate was 10.9% for the month. That’s down from 11.4% in April, but outside of the nation’s largest city, the rest of the state reported a 5.5% unemployment rate for May.
DOL data does show that the state is regaining the jobs it lost more than a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the job recovery is happening slower than the COVID-caused freefall.
In May 2020, the state reported a loss of more than 550,000 leisure and hospitality jobs from the previous year. From May 2020 to last month, the number of jobs in that sector grew by more than 255,000.
The next biggest gainer, in terms of job numbers, was trade, transportation and utilities. After losing nearly 359,000 jobs from May 2019 to May 2020, that industry has picked up 204,000 jobs from May 2020 to last month.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- Roosevelt Island and Queens: Public Safety, Infrastructure, and Community ThreadsExplore Roosevelt Island and Queens public safety updates, infrastructure efforts, and community threads shaping daily life in our neighborhoods.
- How Accountability and Everyday Effort Shape Steadiness on Roosevelt IslandExplore how accountability and everyday effort shape steadiness on Roosevelt Island, connecting local routines with bigger city stories and community trust.
- How Citywide Events Affect Everyday Life on Roosevelt IslandDiscover how citywide events affect everyday life on Roosevelt Island, from changes in commutes to reflections on community routines and support.
- How Citywide Events Shape Daily Life on Roosevelt IslandExplore how citywide events shape daily life on Roosevelt Island through the small routines, shared care, and neighborly adaptation that define our community.
- Community Routines and Neighborhood Change on Roosevelt IslandExplore community routines and neighborhood change on Roosevelt Island, from local leadership to citywide developments, and how neighbors keep the island feeling like home.
What the Thermostat Forgot
I didn’t write this because I like the sound of my own radiator—not that it makes any. I wrote it because what’s happening at Roosevelt Landings isn’t just a story about heat or bills or broken promises. It’s about what gets lost in the fine print when no one shows up to remember. It’s about how silence seeps into walls the same way cold does—slowly, then all at once.
1 COMMENTS