According to preliminary seasonally adjusted figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor, the number of private sector jobs in New York State increased over the month by 3,700, or 0.1%, to 8,463,100 in February 2025. The number of private sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 0.1% in February 2025.
New York State’s private sector jobs (not seasonally adjusted) increased by 106,300, or 1.3%, over the year in February 2025, matching the 1.2% increase in the number of private sector jobs in the U.S.
New York State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 4.4% in January to 4.3% in February 2025. At the same time, New York State’s labor force (seasonally adjusted) increased by 2,800. The statewide labor force participation rate increased from 60.8% in January to 60.9% in February 2025.
The number of private sector jobs in New York State is based on a payroll survey of New York businesses conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Monthly payroll employment estimates are preliminary and subject to revision as more complete data become available the following month. The BLS calculates New York State’s unemployment rate based partly upon the results of the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) of approximately 3,100 households in the State.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for January 2025 was revised down by 6,400, from +20,100 to +13,700. At the same time, the change in total private employment was revised down by 7,000, from +14,500 to +7,500. Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.
Note: Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison. Non-seasonally adjusted data are valuable in year-to-year comparisons of the same month – for example, February 2024 versus February 2025.
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