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 5,600, 0.1%, to 8,464,400 in March 2025. The number of private sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 0.2% in March 2025.
New York State’s private sector jobs (not seasonally adjusted) increased by 89,400, or 1.1%, over the year in March 2025, lower than 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 4.3% in February to 4.2% in March 2025. At the same time, New York State’s labor force (seasonally adjusted) increased by 7,200. The statewide labor force participation rate held steady at 60.9% in March 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 2,800 households in the State.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for February 2025 was revised down by 5,700, from +5,800 to +100. At the same time, the change in total private employment was revised down by 4,300, from +3,700 to -600. 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, March 2024 versus March 2025.
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