New York on Pause takes a toll on Long Beach employment

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a bite out of the job market in Long Beach, Nassau County and other South Shore communities, according to figures for March released earlier this week by the New York State Department of Labor.

The department said that its latest report did not fully reflect coronavirus-related figures. It covered the period March 8 to 14, predating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York on Pause, ordered March 20. 

But Shitel Patel, the Labor Department’s Long Island economist, said the coronavirus did have an impact on employment in Long Beach and much of the rest of Nassau, as some stores and restaurants shut down or shortened their hours, and consumers reduced spending.

April’s report is expected to fully reflect the impact of the coronavirus.

In Long Beach, the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7 percent in March, from 3.2 percent the month before. There were 700 unemployed people in Long Beach in March, 100 more than in February.

John McNally, executive assistant to Interim City Manager Donna Gayden, said in a statement, “As in the case across Long Island and the county, we expect the pandemic to greatly impact Long Beach and that the unemployment numbers we’re seeing from March are going to go up.

“We are working with our federal, state and city elected officials and our Chamber of Commerce to do all we can to support our local businesses and residents,” McNally added.

In Nassau, the unemployment rate in March was 3.7 percent, up from 3.5 percent in February.

Unemployment rates also rose slightly in Freeport, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay, Rockville Centre and Valley Stream. Freeport had an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in March versus 3.5 percent in February, and Valley Stream’s rate was 4.1 percent in March against 3.7 percent in February.

“Overall, for Long Beach and Nassau County, there has been some impact” from the coronavirus pandemic, Patel said.

The largest job decreases so far, Patel said, have been in the restaurant and hospitality industry, which constitutes a significant part of the economy in Long Beach and much of Nassau. Most restaurants have turned to curbside and delivery service since the virus began to spread.

In Long Beach, the Chamber of Commerce has joined with the City of Long Beach to erect signs where restaurant customers can pick up deliveries. 

On Long Island as a whole, unemployment in March was 4 percent, compared with 3.6 percent in February. At 3.7 percent, Nassau County was among the counties in the state with the lowest unemployment rates. 

The unemployment rate in New York state in March was 4.4 percent, up from 3.9 percent in February.