Most area counties chalk up strong job gains

Growth over the most recent 12-month span was particularly robust in Greene, Dutchess and Putnam counties.

The state Department of Labor on Thursday reported solid job growth in almost all counties in the Mid-Hudson and Catskills regions.

Ulster County added 500 nonfarm jobs, a gain of 0.8 percent, during the 12-month period ending Nov. 30, while the DutchessPutnam Metropolitan Division, which comprises all of both counties, gained an impressive 3,400 nonfarm jobs, a 2.3 percent jump, during the same span, the labor office said.

Nonfarm jobs include all positions in the private and public sectors, with the exception of those in agriculture.

The nonfarm job totals in Ulster County and the Dutchess-Putnam region at the end of November were 63,500 and 150,000, respectively, the labor department said.

Greene County gained 500 nonfarm jobs, an impressive 3.4 percent jump, in the November-to-November period, to reach a total of 15,000, the department said. Columbia County added 300 nonfarm jobs, or 1.4 percent, to reach a total of 22,200.

Elsewhere in the region from November 2016 to November 2017, the state labor office said:

• Sullivan County gained 700 nonfarm jobs, or 2.6 percent, to reach 27,300.

• The Orange-RocklandWestchester Metropolitan Division added 9,800 nonfarm jobs, or 1.4 percent, to finish the period at 728,700.

• Delaware County’s nonfarm job total fell by 100, or 0.6 percent, to 13,500.

In the private sector alone from November 2016 to November 2017, the department said:

• Ulster County added 800 jobs, or 1.7 percent.

• The Dutchess-Putnam Metropolitan Division gained 3,300 jobs, or 2.7 percent, the biggest percentage jump in the state for the 12-month period.

• The Orange-RocklandWestchester Metropolitan Division added 8,400 jobs, or 1.4 percent.

The state does not provide private-sector employment data for individual rural counties.

The statewide unemployment rate in November 2017 was 4.7 percent, compared to 4.8 percent the month before and 4.9 percent in November 2017, the Department of Labor said.