Long Island Unemployment Continues To Fall As Economy Recovers

LONG ISLAND, NY — New data released today by the state shows that Long Island's unemployment rate is dropping as the economic recovery from the coronavirus shutdowns continues. The unemployment rate for September was less than half of what it was in July.

According to preliminary data released by the state Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for Long Island was 6.4 percent in September, which is down from August's 10.4 percent. That still equates to 91,800 people out of work. It's the lowest the unemployment rate has been since it peaked at 16.1 percent in April.

Broken down by county, the numbers are almost identical: Nassau has 6.6 percent unemployment and Suffolk 6.2. That's 45,400 and 46,400 people unemployed, respectively.

The closures caused by the coronavirus have caused a massive spike in the state's unemployment. Last September, the unemployment rate was 3.4 percent.

The unemployment rate has finally reached a place where it is lower than the Great Recession that began in 2008, when Long Island's unemployment topped out at 8.2 percent in early 2010.

The worst month on Long Island was April, which brought 16.1 percent unemployment, or 229,300 people without jobs. It was the worst job loss on record. In March, before the closures began in earnest, unemployment was at 3.8 percent. July was the second-highest month of unemployment ever.

New York City is still the hardest-hit area in the state, with an unemployment rate of 13.9 percent in September — which is 530,900 people out of work. That's down from the June high point of 20.4 percent.

Statewide, the unemployment rate in September was 9.4 percent, which equates to 854,200 people out of work.

According to the state, the unemployment numbers come from a survey of 18,000 businesses in New York, which does not include self-employed workers, agricultural workers, unpaid family workers and domestic workers employed by private households.