Newest Data Show County Unemployment Rate Increased in November

The number of unemployed people in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties increased slightly in November, as New York's private sector added a paltry 700 jobs, according to new data from the State Department of Labor.

The jobless rate in the three counties rose from 6.8 to 7 percent between October and November. Westchester and Rockland both have unemployment rates of 7 percent, while Putnam's rate is 6.6 percent. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate statewide increased from 8.2 to 8.3 percent. The tri-county area reached a peak jobless rate of 7.8 percent in January.

The state's jobless rate could continue to climb, as 900 state employees will be out of work on Dec. 31 and seasonal jobs dry up. 

The trend follows a national uptick in the unemployment rate from 9.6 to 9.8 percent. The increase came as a disappointment, if not a surprise, after economists and government officials announced slow but steady economic growth nationwide. 

New York saw a jolt of 37,800 new jobs in October, but cost-cutting governments and private firms reluctant to begin hiring ensured that the trend didn't last long.

Larry Gottlieb, Westchester County's director of economic development, said the small uptick is not great news but also was not surprising.

"The expectation has been that we would probably see unemployment around 7 percent for some time," he said.

"It's when you see a whole point change that you start to get concerned or very happy, depending on the direction its going."

Despite the increase in the number of unemployed residents, the tri-county area is faring better than most other regions in the state; only Ithaca, with its large number of colleges, has a lower jobless rate. New York's rate is the 27th highest in the nation; nine states have jobless rates over 10 percent. 

One day after the Labor Department announced the new numbers, Congress passed an extension of federal unemployment benefits that should reach the pockets of 124,000 New Yorkers in time for Christmas. But Congress refused to extend an additional $25 in weekly payments that were tucked into the stimulus bill, and also did nothing to help so-called "99ers;" those who have exhausted the maximum 99 weeks of benefits and can no longer collect.

"We have 134,000 New Yorkers who have exhausted all of their 99 or 93 weeks of benefits," State Labor Commissioner Colleen Gardner said earlier this month. "They're very anxious, [and] they're working hard to try to find work."

She continued, "My heart goes out to them this holiday season. I think about them a lot and I hope that they will come through our doors and we will see what we can do to help them."

Gardner added that there is only one available job for every five unemployed New Yorkers.  

Alan Bossenmaier, a general contractor who lives in White Plains, lost a lucrative job two years ago and has exhausted his unemployment benefits. He said that recent news of economic growth across the country is hard to find evidence of in Westchester.

"They say the housing market is getting better, the economy is getting better, but I still can't even find a freelance job," said the 52-year-old, who earned a six-figure salary as recently as 2005. "If the housing market is up, I should have work, and I don't."

Westchester and Putnam run a joint website, called the One Stop Employment Center, that allows job seekers to post resumes and look for jobs. As of Wednesday, the site had 53 jobs listed. A similar site serving Rockland County, which is not run by the government, had 129 jobs, some of which were based in New York City, Westchester and Connecticut. 

In September, County Executive Rob Astorino launched an initiative, "New York's Intellectual Capital," that is seeking to bring employers into the area by flaunting the county's educated workforce and its existing commercial infrastructure while taking the focus off of the area's notoriously high taxes and other prohibitive costs.

Gottlieb said the county also has launched programs to encourage unemployed people to start their own businesses, and small business owners to expand.

"We've been trying to get more people back to work either by helping folks start their own companies or training them in industries where companies are hiring," including health care, education and hospitality, Gottlieb said.

"My belief is that to have job growth, we need more small and mid-size businesses moving here or starting here versus the larger firms who have said they are not going to hire in large numbers anytime soon."

There have been a few slivers of hope for local job-seekers; most recently,  that it was moving its operations from Virginia to White Plains. The company will bring 33 full-time jobs, and promises to create 32 more over the next four years. Buffalo Wild Wings and Dick's Sporting Goods also have recently moved into the city. 

"The fact that Sabra has decided to expand in Westchester is a vote of confidence for the county, the quality of its workforce and all the other advantages it can offer businesses," Astorino said at the time.

"Sabra had many choices throughout the region and easily could have moved out of state."

Gottlieb said that the biotech firm Contra-Sec recently announced plans to move their operations from New York City to Yonkers and create 200 jobs over the next few years. He added that the county is set to make a series of announcements about job growth in January.