Long Island Unemployment Rate Soars To 16 Percent

LONG ISLAND, NY – The devastating economic impact of the coronavirus is reflected in new unemployment data released by the New York State Department of Labor Wednesday.

The unemployment rate in April on Long Island was 16 percent. In April 2019, it was 3.1 percent.

Private sector payroll employment on Long Island fell by 253,600 in April, after declining by 7,800 in March (not seasonally adjusted). The April month-over-month decline is the largest in the history of the current series (which goes back to 1990) and brought employment to its lowest level since February 1994.

Job losses were widespread in April. The largest employment decline occurred in leisure and hospitality, where employment plunged by 70,300, or 62.1 percent.

On a year-over-year basis, the number of private sector jobs on Long Island decreased by 281,900, or 24.5 percent, to 866,400 in April 2020. In comparison, private sector jobs in New York fell by 22.1 percent and in the nation by 14.5 percent.

Rates are calculated using methods prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.

Those collecting unemployment are also receiving a $600 supplemental weekly benefit through the end of July. Democrats in Congress are pushing to have that benefit extended through January 2021, but Senate Republicans are cool to the idea, arguing that the increase in unemployment benefits is creating a disincentive for people to go back to work.