State Labor Department releases preliminary August 2020 area unemployment rates
The New York State Department of Labor has released preliminary local area unemployment rates for August 2020.
The rates released in a statement on Wednesday September 23, 2020, were calculated using methods prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to the statement, the State’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.
“From August 2019 to August 2020, the State’s private sector employment count decreased by 1,096,900,” the statement reads.
It adds that the State’s seasonally adjusted private sector job count increased over the month by 96,300, or 1.4%, to 7,198,600 in August 2020.
“The State’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers, which is conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“In addition, the State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 15.9% to 12.5% in August 2020,” the statement says.
The data in the preceding table are not seasonally adjusted, which means they reflect seasonal influences (e.g., holiday and summer hires).
Therefore, the most valid comparisons with this type of data are year-to-year comparisons of the same month, for example, August 2019 versus August 2020.
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