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County doesn't share in state's job growth report

By Howard B. Owens

While the Department of Labor is boasting of 30,000 new jobs in New York in December, Genesee County was apparently not part of the boon.

The county lost 200 jobs from December 2013 to December 2014, according to the latest figures released by the DoL.

There were 21,900 jobs in the county last month, according to the report.

The nation as a whole added 240,000 jobs during the period and the national unemployment rate has dipped to 5.6 percent. New York's rate is 5.8 percent. The county's latest rate is not yet available.

During the same period, Wyoming County lost 100 jobs, down to 13,100. 

For jobs numbers, Orleans and Livingston counties are included in the Rochester count, which totals 129,200 jobs, down 200 from a year ago.

Buffalo-Niagara, however, added 800 new jobs, up to 558,400.

Here's the DoL's press release on the jobs report:

In December 2014, New York State’s private sector job count increased by 30,100, or 0.4 percent, to 7,638,200, reaching a new all-time high and outpacing the nation’s growth. Since the beginning of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, the state’s economy has added 535,600 private sector jobs and experienced employment growth in 41 of the past 48 months. This period included 22 consecutive months of private sector job growth, the state’s longest streak on record (current data go back to 1990).

The statewide unemployment rate in New York declined from 5.9 percent to 5.8 percent in December 2014, reaching its lowest level since September 2008, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. In addition, New York City’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.3 percent, remaining at its lowest level since October 2008.

The state’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly payroll employment estimates are preliminary and subject to revision as more data becomes available the following month. The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.

“In December 2014, New York State’s economy experienced its largest monthly private sector job gain in two years and outpaced the nation. In addition, the state’s unemployment rate continued its recent downward trend in December,” said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, deputy director of the Division of Research and Statistics.

Mark Potwora

GCEDC were are you..we lost 200 hundred jobs....Now tell us again how you meet your goals last year....What do you need more money form the taxpayers..Alpina has laid off many and are not meeting the goals set in their pilot program...Time to claw back and make them pay their property tax.

Jan 22, 2015, 9:32pm Permalink
david spaulding

There you have it folks, all the tax breaks given by your GCEDC , all the jobs that were created and still Genesee county is down 200 jobs. Can you say Bonus ?
Property owners, have you sent your tax check?

Jan 22, 2015, 9:38pm Permalink
Brian Graz

This is not the 1st time for a negative jobs report for Genesee County. Maybe if the County legislature ups it contribution to the GCEDC that will correct the problem. But that would probably require raising taxes... awe so what, the City of Batavia is planning on doing it too.

Hey, how's that Buffalo Billion working out?

Jan 23, 2015, 12:20am Permalink

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