jobs

Yesterday, Mike Pettinella reported on the high volume of requests for assistance the state's unemployment offices are receiving for benefits.

Today, spokeswoman Deanna Cohen provided an update:

Yesterday we received 532,000+ site visits from New Yorkers filing UI claims.

Today we received 475,000+ calls.

Our dedicated staff is doing the best they can and are committed to serving every single person, no matter how long it takes.

Click here to email your resume.

Click here to email your resume.

Click here to email your resume.

The August unemployment rate for Genesee County was 3.5 percent, according to the state's Department of Labor, up 2/10ths of a percent from the previous August.

While up slightly, it's still well below the recession peak of 7 percent in 2012 and below this year's highest rate of 5 percent in February.

The state reports there are 30,100 local residents in the labor force, unchanged from a year ago.

Also unchanged is the 29,100 people counted as employed year-over-year. (Working the calculation backward to find the difference between a 3.3 percent and a 3.5 percent unemployment rate would yield 1,050 people, approximately, seeking work who haven't found it. The state releases only round numbers for workforce participation).

There was also an uptick in the state's unemployment rate -- from 4.0 percent to 4.2 percent.

The nation's unemployment rate dipped from 3.9 percent to 3.8 percent.

There were 200 few jobs being filled by workers in Genesee County in August, dropping from 23,900 in August 2018 to 23,700 this year. The decrease in 200 jobs was split equally between the private sector and the government.

Tuesday, at the fairgrounds, more than 800 students from schools throughout Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties had a chance to try out several skilled trades first hand in the region's first-ever "GLOW With Your Hands" event.

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Genesee County's unemployment rate dropped by 7/10ths of a percent in April 2019 compared to April 2018, according to the state's Department of Labor.

The 3.6 percent rate is lowest of any April since at least 1992 (as far as published data goes back). During that span, the April rate has never dropped below 4 percent.

The total Genesee County labor force (people who have jobs or are seeking jobs) is reported at 29,400, up from 29,200 the year prior.

The highest April unemployment rates for Genesee County since 1992 were in 2010 and 2012 at 7.9 percent when the labor force was 31,800 and 31,700, respectively. 

A total of 28,300 people in the county are employed, up from 28,000 a year ago.

The state's unemployment rate is 3.6 percent, down from 4 percent a year ago, and the nation's rate is 3.3 percent, down from 3.7 percent a year ago.

There is a skills mismatch between what local employers need and what the available workforce has to offer, said Teresa Van Son, director of the Job Development Bureau in Genesee County, yesterday following her department review with the Ways and Means Committee.

During the meeting, Van Son said a recent job fair was poorly attended by job seekers.

The county's unemployment rate is historically low -- that may not be a surprise but there are still at least 1,300 people listed as unemployed (using the most recent unemployment statistics). Von Son said she believes there are still people with the ability to work who are not looking for work because there aren't jobs available for them. Meanwhile, there are more than 1,000 job openings in Genesee County listed with the Job Bureau.

To address that, Von Son wants to promote more the job-training opportunities available through the bureau.

"One thing we would like to work on is providing people with additional opportunities for training so people in those early skill level jobs can move up and fill some higher level positions and then you've got more room for the emerging workforce," Van Son said.

County-level data for prime-age workers who aren't working or looking for work is hard to come by, but nationally the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the labor participation rate in that cohort has returned nearly to 2009 levels after hitting a nadir in 2014. The percentage of prime-age workers, people 25-54, in the labor force (they have jobs or are seeking jobs) was 82.2 percent in April compared to 82.8 percent in April 2009 and 80.8 percent in April 2014.

Recently, Von Son said, there has been an increase in agriculture job openings. There are also jobs available in manufacturing.

There are not many people using job bureau services who have recently been out of the workforce and are returning now, Von Son said. In fact, she can think of only two such clients recently.

"Some folks I think just need opportunities to get training," Von Son said.