Babylon Town Unemployment Rate Up Slightly

July unemployment figures for released Tuesday by the New York State Department of Labor were 8.2 percent, up 0.1 percent from June, but still less than June 2010 when the rate was 8.6 percent.

According to the labor department, Babylon Town’s unemployment rate was the highest among Suffolk County townships. State figures show the county’s unemployment rate at 7.4 percent, up from 7.2 percent as of June, but still lower than June 2010 when the rate was 7.7 percent.

In the the jobless rate for July stood at eight percent, up from June’s 7.8 percent, but still far from the nine percent in July of 2010.

The town's current labor force stands at 113,400 with 104,000 residents employed and 9,400 unemployed. In Lindenhurst the total labor force in June was 15,000, with 13,800 residents employed and 1,200 unemployed.

Statewide the unemployment rate was eight percent, the same as June and less than the 8.6 percent in June 2010. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased from 760,500 in June to 768,500. New York’s economy gained 14,100 private sector jobs in July.

Long Island’s unemployment rate remained the same as June, at 7.1 percent, and is lower than July 2010 when the rate was 7.5 percent. The Long Island unemployment rate has declined year-over-year in 12 of the last 14 months and remained unchanged in the other two.

Although year-to-year unemployment rates continue to show drops, Jim Brown, labor market analyst for the State Department of Labor, said they're dipping across the board because the pool of job seekers is drying up. 

"Sometimes this is a sign that a population is getting smaller," he said. "More commonly what you're seeing is people giving up on job searches and making decisions to do other things, whether it’s retire, go back to school or stay home and raise kids instead of working a second family job."

The national unemployment rate was static in July at 9.3 percent. That's down from 9.7 percent in July 2010.