Increase in Year-to-Year Unemployment Rate; More People in Labor Force

More People Employed, Unemployed since November 2016

Today, the New York State Department of Labor released preliminary local area unemployment rates for November 2017.  Saratoga and Albany Counties are among the counties with the lowest unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) in November at 4.0% and 4.2%, respectively.  All four Capital District counties have unemployment rates between 4.0% and 4.9%.  The Unemployment Rate for the Capital District as a whole was 4.3%.  The New York State unemployment rate was 4.5% while the national rate was 3.9%.

The Capital District also experienced growth in the regional labor force, as compared to the prior year.  In November 2017, the region had approximately 433,600 people either employed or unemployed.  In November 2016, the region had approximately 429,400 people either employed or unemployed.

The Commission publishes regional employment and unemployment information from the New York State Department of Labor. The Department of Labor notes that current month data is preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available in the following month.  Data is collected and reported over time in a single data set.  The full dataset is available on our website.