ALBANY - New York State's economy has added 29,600 jobs in January, breaking a record with 17 consecutive months of private sector jobs added, the State Department of Labor reported today.  January's job count, as compared to the national figure of 166,000 jobs added for the same month, means that nearly one out of every five jobs added in the nation were created in New York.  Between December 2012 and January 2013, New York State's unemployment rate rose from 8.2% to 8.4%.  The rate in New York City increased from 8.8% to 9.1%, and the rate in the balance of state region (New York State outside of New York City) rose from 7.8% to 7.9%.

The private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  Due to the sample size, this survey is considered a reliable gauge of the state's economy for any given month. In contrast, the unemployment rate as determined by BLS is calculated primarily on the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 households in New York State.  Due to the small sample size, this survey is not comprehensive.

"New York State's strong economy continues to grow in 2013 and is setting records for consecutive job growth.  In January, the state's private sector job count increased by 29,600, accounting for nearly one in five jobs created in the nation," said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics.