Buffalo employment gains lead Upstate

The state Department of Labor reported the Buffalo metropolitan area gained a total of 4,200 jobs in the past year, including 1,700 in the private sector.

The overall employment upswing for this area topped all other Upstate metros. The report showed nonfarm employment in Buffalo-Niagara Falls was up 0.8 percent while private industry posted an increase of 0.4 percent.

The unemployment rate for April was 4.7 percent, down from 5.4 percent in the same month last year, and from 6.2 percent in March.

Content Continues Below

Employment increases in the public sector were led by local government, up 2,400. In the private sector, service-providing jobs were up 7,700, or 1.7 percent. Goods-producing jobs fell by 3,500, or 4.4 percent, the report said.

In Rochester, the number of nonfarm jobs increased by 600, or 0.1 percent. The number of private-sector jobs, however, decreased by the same 600, or 0.1 percent. The unemployment rate was 5 percent in April, compared 4.2 last year and 5.7 percent in March.

The state lost private-sector jobs for the third straight month, decreasing by 9,100, or 0.1 percent, to 7.25 million.

New York state's unemployment rate, after seasonal adjustment, was 4.7 percent in April 2008, down from 4.8 percent in March.

Separately, the New York Employee Confidence Index increased 7.9 points to 47.3 in April, according to the latest SpherionEmployment Report. The monthly survey of New York workers reveals that more workers believe the amount of jobs available has increased and more workers are confident in the future of their current employer.

The report is compiled by Harris Interactive of Rochester on behalf of Spherion Corp.