Rochester Business Journal

The Rochester metropolitan area economy continued to look positive in July, adding both non-farm and private-sectors jobs, the state Department of Labor said Thursday.

Over the last year Rochester added 9,400 non-farm jobs, or 1.9 percent, while the private sector  added 8,900 jobs, or 2.1 percent. Job gains in the area again were concentrated primarily in the professional and business services industry.

The Rochester area ranked fourth—with Kingston—among upstate regions last month in terms of percentage of private-sector job growth. Rochester also ranked fourth in non-farm growth, again behind Ithaca, Utica-Rome and Binghamton.

The Buffalo area added 2,400 non-farm jobs, or 0.4 percent, while the private sector added 2,900 jobs, or 0.6 percent. The Syracuse area economy did not fare as well. Syracuse lost some 300 non-farm jobs, or 0.1 percent, since July 2011, while the private sector had no change in the number of jobs.

In the 52-county Upstate New York region, non-farm growth was 20,000 in July, while the private sector added 26,600 jobs. Statewide, some 114,500 non-farm jobs were gained from July 2011 to July 2012, while the private sector added 123,400 jobs, not seasonally adjusted.

The non-farm job count tracks all jobs in the private and public sectors, but does not count the self-employed or workers on farms. Within the Rochester region, some 514,500 people were employed in non-farm jobs last month, down from 524,000 in June, but up from 505,100 a year ago, not seasonally adjusted.

Non-seasonally adjusted data are valuable in year-to-year comparisons for the same month, for example, July 2011 versus July 2012, the Department of Labor has noted. When comparing different months, seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid comparison.

Statewide, the seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 9.1 percent in July, up from 8.9 percent in June and 8.2 percent a year ago. Local unemployment rates are scheduled to be released next week.

The professional & business services sector continued to show the largest job gains statewide in July, having added 52,500 jobs since July 2011. The government sector—concentrated primarily at the local level—had the largest setback, having shed 8,900 jobs since July 2011, not seasonally adjusted.

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