Unemployment in Oswego County took a big step back from the cliff in April.
The jobless rate dropped from 10.7% in March to 9.1% in April.
There were signs of improvement in the local job market. 500 more people were listed as employed, while 1,100 people were no longer listed as unemployed. However, that gap of 600 means that 600 people who had been looking for work stopped looking during the month. Unemployment measures only those who are working or are looking for work.
In the three-county Syracuse area, which includes Oswego County, the jobless rate fell to 7.7% from 8.5%. Even so, said Roger Evans, State Labor Department analyst, the jobless rate is a record for April. “We have never had fewer factory jobs than we do today and we are at a record low for trade, transportation and utilities jobs,” he said.
Evans said the job gains came primarily in seasonal jobs and in education and health-related jobs.
“It’s not a sign that we are out of the recession,” he said. “It’s just normal seasonal hiring. It’s a good omen that the seasonal hiring was strong this year, bodes well for the future. But we are still at the pit of the recession for most job seekers in Syracuse.”
Statewide, unemployment fell to 8.2% in April, down six-tenths of a point.
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