Local Unemployment Figures Show Steady Improvement

State unemployment figures released Tuesday indicate a steady, ongoing recovery from the dark days of 2010.

“The recovery seems to be building momentum,” said Jim Brown, labor market analyst for the state Department of Labor, based in New York City. “We saw nice growth in the trade numbers, construction trades, as well as professional services.”

The Town of Oyster Bay saw continued improvement in the job market, recording a 5.9 percent rate of unemployment in March, down from 6.5 percent in February. The March figures are among the best in the state and well under the national figures. A year ago, the unemployment rate in Oyster Bay was 6.7 percent.

Of the more than 150,000 workers in the town, less than 9,000 are unemployed, according to the Labor Department statistics.

The Town of Babylon also continues to improve, with a  7.7 percent unemployment rate in March, down from 8.2 percent in February.

In Farmingdale things are also on the up. Main Street had two stores open this month - Estelle's Restaurant and C & C Skate Factory.

"I resigned at the New York Stock Exchange because I refused to fire people," said Chris O'Donnell, owner of C & C Skate Factory, which opened its doors last week. "I am tired of eliminating jobs so I decided to stay local, keep people here on our Main Street."

In Nassau County, the rate of unemployment dropped to 6.6 percent, down from 7.2 percent in February and the 7.3 percent recorded a year ago. Suffolk County’s rate was 7.5 in March, down from 8.2 percent a month earlier and 8.1 in March, 2010.

New York State’s unemployment rate also dropped to 8 percent in March, from 8.7 percent in February and 9.1 percent a year ago.

The numbers were similar in New York City, where the rate dropped to 8.4 percent from 9.1 percent in February. A year ago, New York’s unemployment rate was 10 percent.

The various construction trades continue to be hard hit, with unemployment rates exceeding the regional and state averages. However, these trades are actually showing significant month-to-month improvement, Brown said.

The gains in the construction trades appear to be seasonal in nature, Brown said. But Long Island is seeing a 1 percent annual growth rate in employment. In addition to the jump in seasonal construction jobs, the industries that are hiring tend to be in hospitality and leisure activities.

New York City and the Capital region around Albany were the job leaders coming out of the economic downturn. Long Island is now following suit, he said.

Retail and service jobs are up here. The exception: sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores, state figures show.

Brown said information technology, accounting and law firms are hiring, leading the growth in professional jobs. Nassau and Suffolk counties gained 2,600 jobs in the course of a month, he said.

“The overall picture is of a broadening recovery tied to the improving national economy that is moving forward,” Brown said.