Rochester Business Journal

The jobless rate in the Rochester metropolitan area rose again in July, the state Department of Labor reported Tuesday.

The unemployment rate was 8.5 percent last month, up from 8.4 percent in June and 7.8 percent a year ago. The metro area includes Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne counties.

Data in the report are not seasonally adjusted. The most valid comparison with this type of data are year-to-year comparisons of the same month, the Labor Department noted.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent, unchanged from June, but up from 8.3 percent a year ago. Some 888,900 people were unemployed in New York in July, compared with 881,800 in June and 799,900 in July 2011.

The upstate jobless rate was 8.7 percent, up from 8 percent a year ago.

The number of unemployed in Rochester in July was 45,700, up from 45,100 in June and 41,000 a year ago. Some 490,500 people were employed here last month, compared with 482,000 in June and 483,400 in July 2011.

Last week, the Department of Labor reported an increase in the number of non-farm and private-sector jobs in Rochester. The area ranked fourth among upstate regions in terms of job-growth percentage.

Area unemployment rates, not seasonally adjusted, were:

•    Monroe County—8.6 percent, up from 8.4 percent in June and 8 percent a year ago;
•    Genesee County—7.4 percent, compared with 7.7 percent in June and 6.9 percent in July 2011;
•    Livingston County—8.1 percent, down from 8.3 percent in June, but up from 7.4 percent in July 2011;
•    Ontario County—7.2 percent, compared with 7.6 percent in June and 6.6 percent a year ago;
•    Orleans County—11.3 percent last month, up from 10.6 percent in June and 9.2 percent a year ago; and
•    Wayne County—8.4 percent, compared with 8.8 percent in June and 7.8 percent a year ago.

The jobless rate in Buffalo was 9 percent in July, compared with 8.8 percent in June and 8.1 percent in July 2011. The Syracuse-area unemployment rate was 9 percent last month, unchanged from June, but up from 8.2 percent a year ago.

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