Business & Tech

Nassau Unemployment Rate Sits at 6.8 Percent

Lynbrook Chamber president "optimistic" about job creation.

Nassau County's unemployment rate remained at 6.8 percent in October, as it has for the past three months, according to statistics released Thursday by the New York State Department of Labor. 

The county unemployment rate was 7 percent a year ago.

The Town of Hempstead unemployment rate for August was 7.1 percent, a drop from 7.3 percent the year prior. The unemployment rate had been as low as 6.7 percent in April and as high as 7.9 percent in February.

"You have to keep in mind that this is the official unemployment rate. There is another unemployment rate that includes people who are working part time involuntarily because they can't find a full-time job, and there are the so-called discouraged workers who stopped looking for work because they couldn't find a job," said Dr. Pearl Kamer, chief economist for the Long Island Association.

The statewide unemployment rate has remained flat at 8 percent since September, however it is down .2 percent from August.

"The overall report is pretty positive. The numbers track fairly closely to the national data," said Gary Huth, regional analyst for New York State Department of Labor. "We're doing better than the national economy. It's slow but improving. There does appear to be some degree of certainty of the viability of recovery. But the speed of the recovery is a little slower that we'd like to see."

Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce President Bill Gaylor said he was pleased to hear that the unemployment numbers remained constant, as opposed to increasing.

"I understand that jobs are being created," he said, "so I'm optimistic that the number will start to go down from the 6.8 [percent] down to where it should be."

Gaylor added that he has been working with the Lynbrook Public Library, Our Lady of Peace Church's Outreach Program, and Lynbrook Patch to help residents find jobs in the community.


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