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Rochester Area Unemployment Rate Drops In March

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The latest numbers from the New York State Labor Department show another drop in the local unemployment rate. The Rochester metro saw a jobless rate of 5.5 percent in March, down from 6 percent in February, and 6.4 percent in March of 2014.

State Labor Analyst Tammy Marino says there has been a steady decline in the number of people who are unemployed.

"The number of unemployed individuals fell by nearly six thousand during the past 12 months and this comes on the heels of nearly five years of uninterrupted job growth."

Marino says the drop in unemployment is due in part to growth in the economy;  but another factor is the aging of the local work force, as more people reach retirement age and leave the job market.

Last week, the State Labor Department said the Rochester area saw a gain of four thousand private sector jobs in March compared to this time last year

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.