Despite Gains Nationally, New York Unemployment Still on the Increase

New York has been saddled with an unemployment rate on the increase—even as the national jobless figure is on the decline.

As of August, the state’s rate had climbed from 8.2 percent up to 9.1 percent since Gov. Andrew Cuomo took office in January 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In an article in the New York Times, defenders of Cuomo pointed to a federal payroll study that shows New York has jobs growing by 1.4 percent over the last 12 months, an above-average rate. Initial unemployment insurance claims have also been falling lately, according to the paper.

There are a few possible reasons why the unemployment and payroll numbers are so different, the Times said. The unemployment data is based on a household survey that reaches the self-employed and people who work in agriculture, but the payroll survey is not.

Some economists have said the unemployment survey only reached about 2,330 in New York State, too small of a pool from which to gather data.