Local Expert: Westchester Fares Well in New Unemployment Report

The New York State Department of Labor announced that the state gained 14,100 private sector jobs, or 0.2 percent, in July, and that the state’s unemployment rate was unchanged from June at 8 percent. The national average for July was 9.1 percent, barely down from 9.2 percent in June.

Both numbers are just slightly down from the same time last year, where New York’s unemployment rate in July 2010 was 8.5 percent, and the national rate 9.5 percent.

According to a report released Thursday, the number of unemployed New Yorkers decreased over the last month—from 759,900 in June to 756,600 in July.

According to Jennifer Arenas, regional manager at Robert Half International—based out of White Plains—July saw the continuation of an rising hiring trend specifically in Westchester County in the manufacturing, construction and healthcare sectors. Arenas said accounting and finance positions—especially senior level accountants, business and financial analysts, and staff level accounts—are also seeing an increase in hiring rate. Customer service representatives are also currently in high demand.

Arenas stated that the last two month’s static unemployment numbers are consistent with those of a recovering market, saying “it doesn’t mean that hiring isn’t occurring.”

Another sector seeing positive numbers is health care, specifically in administrative and information technology positions, as more and more organizations are looking to put their medical records in electronic form. Arenas said that the most encouraging sign is that some of the industries that have been most affected by the Recession are on the uptick.

“We’ve also seen an increase in construction [hiring] which is really a good sign because construction and manufacturing were probably two of the hardest hit during downturn in the [Westchester] area,” Arenas said. “A lot of companies and projects that had been put off for a couple of years are starting to come to light.”

Arenas said her company has noticed a steady increase in the number of job postings, hires, and temporary employments in the last eight months, with no signs of the trend slowing down. She expects an increase in education sector hires in the near future, as local and community colleges and universities will look to fill admissions and financial aid positions with the beginning of the new school year in sight.