Job market takes a step back
The Capital Region's unemployment rate was 7 percent in November, according to the state Department of Labor. That's up from 6.7 percent in November 2009. The region is down about 3,000 jobs compared to a year ago.
There were more than 31,000 unemployed people in the Capital Region in November.
New York State's unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in November -- up from 8.2 percent in October and down from 8.9 percent in November 2009. The total job count in the state was down 300 last month.
The national unemployment rate was 9.8 percent last month -- up from 9.6 in October and 10 in November 2009.
Anecdotal, but... We feel like we got a small view into the job market via the hiring process for the associate editor job with AOA. It's been sobering.
We got a lot of applications. And a lot of those people have skills and experience. There just aren't that many opportunities out there right now.
All data from NYS DOL. Capital Region data are not seasonally adjusted, so it's best to compare the same month from different years. State level data is adjusted, so if you'd like to compare one month to the next, go for it.
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Comments
Christmas shopping this year has been fantastic- no lines at the register and easy parking. It must be because everyone's busy with employment! So why was a Saratoga County Sheriff car parked in the firelane at Clifton Park Target for an hour last night? My guess is they were fighting Al Qaeda because shoplifting, or at least the act of intimidating shoppers as they walked in by blasting your headlights on them, is a thing of the past. Maybe Target should buy their own bomb-sniffing security next time rather than relying on the taxpayer to do it for them, for the good of NYS's bright labor climate (going forward). Nanochips forever!
... said Jeff S on Dec 17, 2010 at 9:10 AM | link
Keep in mind that figure does not reflect those "no longer looking" for work - or whose unemployment has run out, or who are under-employed because they couldn't find something in their field (think seasonal retail, or retail in general). The actual rate is much higher.
Also anecdotally: I have been on several interviews in the past couple months (a good sign), but there are so many candidates that companies are literally interviewing for weeks and months to find the absolute best candidate.
... said -A on Dec 17, 2010 at 9:33 AM | link