The unemployment rate in the Rochester area dropped in August by a full point compared to last year at this time. The August jobless rate was 5.8 percent, down slightly from July's 6.1 percent rate, and down from 6.8 percent in August of a year ago.
State labor analyst Tammy Marino says we have seen continued improvement, although the rate is still higher than normal.
"By historical standards, the local unemployment rate remains somewhat above average. Prior to the recession the unemployment rate in the Rochester area averaged about five percent."
Marino says jobs losses increased a bit in the manufacturing and retail sectors. Last week, the labor department reported that the Rochester region saw a gain of 4300 jobs over the last year.
Marino does say that one reason the unemployment rate has been falling is that the size of the local labor pool is shrinking. She says that is partly due to the aging of the workforce and more people retiring as well as some people who got discouraged and gave up looking for work.
