NYS Department of Labor areas with highest unemployment rates - what regions are affected most?
I've been trying to understand which parts of New York State have the highest unemployment rates right now. My cousin lost her job in Buffalo last month and she's saying it's really bad up there, but I'm in Queens and it seems like there are jobs everywhere here. Does the NYS Department of Labor publish data on which counties or regions have the worst unemployment? I'm thinking about relocating for work but want to avoid areas where finding a job might be harder. Also wondering if certain areas get different treatment for UI benefits or if the job search requirements are the same statewide?
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Mason Lopez
The NYS Department of Labor does publish monthly unemployment statistics by region. Generally, upstate areas like the North Country, Southern Tier, and some parts of Western NY tend to have higher unemployment rates than the NYC metro area. You can find the current data on the NYS Department of Labor website under Labor Statistics. The job search requirements are the same statewide though - you still need to make 3 job contacts per week regardless of your county's unemployment rate.
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Demi Lagos
•Thanks! I found the labor statistics page but some of the data seems to be from last quarter. Do they update it monthly or is there a delay?
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Vera Visnjic
buffalo is definitely rough right now, lost my manufacturing job there in december and still looking. the competition is fierce and a lot of places are still doing hiring freezes. meanwhile my brother in westchester got 3 job offers last month in tech
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Jake Sinclair
•Have you tried expanding your search to Rochester or Syracuse? Sometimes it's worth the commute if you can find something stable. Also, if you're collecting UI, make sure you're logging those job contacts properly in the NYS Department of Labor system.
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Brielle Johnson
I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor agents to ask about this exact thing - kept getting busy signals for weeks! Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to speak with someone. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent confirmed that unemployment rates vary significantly by region but your benefit amount is based on your earnings history, not your location.
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Honorah King
•Interesting, never heard of that service. Did they charge you for helping get through to NYS Department of Labor?
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Brielle Johnson
•They do have a fee but it was worth it to actually talk to someone instead of calling 50 times a day. Got my questions answered in one call.
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Oliver Brown
From what I've seen the rural counties definitely struggle more. Agriculture and manufacturing jobs disappeared and there's not much to replace them. NYC area has more diversity in industries so even when one sector is down others might be hiring. But cost of living is so different too - $500/week UI goes a lot further upstate than in Manhattan
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Mary Bates
•True! I'm collecting max benefits right now and it barely covers my rent in Brooklyn. Thinking about moving somewhere cheaper while I job search.
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