Babylon August Unemployment Rate Down Slightly

August unemployment figures for Babylon Town released Tuesday by the New York State Department of Labor were 7.9 percent, down 0.3 percent from July, and even lower than August 2010 when the rate was 8.3 percent.

Yet, despite the dip, Babylon’s unemployment rate remains the highest among Suffolk County townships.

State figures show the county’s unemployment rate at 7.1 percent, down from 7.4 percent as of July, but still lower than August 2010 when the rate was 7.5 percent.

In the Village of Lindenhurst the jobless rate for August stood at 7.6 percent, a drop from July’s 8.0 percent, but still far from the 8.7 percent in August of 2010.

The town's current labor force stands at 112,600, with 103,700 residents employed and 8,900 unemployed. In Lindenhurst the total labor force in June was 14,900, with 13,800 residents employed and 1,100 unemployed.

Statewide the unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in August, the same as July and less than the 8.4 percent in August 2010. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased slightly over the month, from 755,900 in July to 756,400 in August 2011.

Long Island’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in August, compared to 7.1 percent in July and down from the year-ago figure of 7.2 percent. The local unemployment rate has declined year-over-year in 13 of the last 15 months and remained unchanged in the other 2.

The national unemployment rate was static in August at 9.1 percent, the same as July, and down from 9.6 percent in August 2010.