The latest numbers on job growth from the New York State Department of Labor show an increase in jobs in the Rochester area. Officials say the Rochester area saw an increase of 4,200 private sector jobs in December compared to the previous year.
Overall for 2016, state labor analyst Tammy Marino says it was a pretty good year for job seekers.
“Hiring over the past year was a little above average. On average, employment typically grows by about 15,000 every year through the month of December; this year employers locally created about 18,000 new jobs during that same period," she told WXXI News.
Marino says among the sectors of the local economy that were the strongest in terms of hiring were health care and the leisure industry.
“Health care was our strongest performer this year; over the past 12 months health care employment grew by more than 3,700 and employment currently stands at an all-time record high in that sector. The leisure industry also was a pretty strong performer; that sector gained about 1,700 jobs over the past 12 months.”
Marino says manufacturing continues to be a weak spot, although the pace of job loss in the manufacturing sector has slowed in recent years.
Marino says retail hiring also was slower over the last few months than it typically is.
Statewide, the December unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, compared to 4.6 percent in November and 4.8 percent in December of 2015. The unemployment rates for Rochester and other communities will be released next week.
