Where is unemployment the highest in New York state right now?
I'm looking at moving within NY state and trying to figure out which areas have the worst job markets right now. Does anyone know where unemployment rates are currently the highest? I'm particularly interested in upstate vs downstate differences. My industry is retail management so I'm wondering if certain regions are hit harder than others. Any insights from people who've been tracking this or recently moved around the state?
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Tami Morgan
From what I've seen, the North Country and some of the smaller upstate cities like Watertown and Elmira tend to have higher unemployment rates. The Finger Lakes region has been struggling too, especially outside of Rochester. NYC metro area usually has lower rates but cost of living is obviously much higher.
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Maya Diaz
•That's helpful, thanks! I was wondering about the Finger Lakes area specifically. Are you seeing any improvement there recently?
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Rami Samuels
i think the southern tier has been pretty rough too, lot of manufacturing jobs disappeared over the years and never really came back
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Haley Bennett
The NYS Department of Labor releases monthly unemployment statistics by county and metropolitan area. Generally, rural counties upstate have higher rates - often 2-3% above the state average. Buffalo-Niagara has improved significantly but some surrounding counties still struggle. For retail specifically, areas with declining populations tend to have fewer opportunities.
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Maya Diaz
•Do you know where I can find those monthly reports? That would be really useful data to look at.
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Haley Bennett
•Check the NYS Department of Labor website under Labor Statistics. They break it down by region and industry which should help with your retail focus.
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Douglas Foster
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor for more specific information about regional job markets, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually speak with someone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Was able to get detailed info about my local area that wasn't in the online reports.
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Maya Diaz
•Interesting, I didn't know they could help with general labor market questions too. Thanks for the tip!
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Nina Chan
honestly i've been looking for work for 8 months now and it feels like EVERYWHERE is bad... maybe the numbers look different but when you're actually trying to find something decent it all feels the same
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Tami Morgan
•I hear you, the statistics don't always reflect what it's actually like trying to find work. Have you been focusing on one particular area or casting a wide net?
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Harper Thompson
For retail management specifically, I've noticed that areas around college towns tend to have more stability - places like Ithaca, New Paltz, or even Albany due to the steady student population. The seasonal tourism areas like the Adirondacks can be tricky because they have high demand in summer but really slow winters. If you're open to it, the Hudson Valley has been seeing some growth with people moving up from NYC, which might create more retail opportunities. Just my two cents from what I've observed in the market lately.
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