Job totals inch up in most counties

Employment totals rose a bit last month in much of the Mid-Hudson Valley, according to the state Department of Labor, but they remained substantially lower than a year ago.

Ulster County had 55,500 nonfarm jobs at the end of March, up from 55,100 a month earlier but a sharp 8.1% below the 60,400 total recorded in March 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic was starting to force business closures and layoffs, data released Thursday by the labor department showed.

The Dutchess-Putnam Metropolitan Division, which comprises those two counties, finished March with 134,400 nonfarm jobs, up from 133,600 at the end of February but 7.7% lower than the March 2020 tally of 145,400, the labor office said.

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

Greene and Columbia counties showed little movement from February to March, according to the labor department. Greene County’s nonfarm job total dropped from 14,300 to 14,100, while Columbia’s rose from 19,100 to 19,200. The March 2020 totals in the two counties were 14,900 in Greene and 20,800 in Columbia.

There were no changes in Delaware and Sullivan counties from February to March: Delaware held at 14,400 nonfarm jobs, while Sullivan was steady at 26,100.

In the private sector alone, Ulster County had 3,700 fewer jobs in March 2021 than a year earlier, a drop of 8.1%, while the Dutchess-Putnam area’s year-over-year total fell by 9,600, or 8.1%.

No county in New York state had more nonfarm jobs in March 2021 than in March 2020, though tiny Hamilton County, in the Adirondacks, matched its yearago total. New York City and

Seneca County suffered the state’s largest year-over-year drops, 11.7% each.

Statewide, nonfarm employment rose from 8.65 million in February to 8.76 million in March. The March 2020 state total was 9.64 million.

The state unemployment rate in March was 8.5%, down from 8.9% in February but still well above the March 2020 rate of 3.9%.