Nassau County unemployment drops again

The New York State Labor Department released preliminary local area unemployment rates for Dec. 2014. The state’s unemployment rate relies in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month.

The counties in New York State with the lowest unemployment rates include Tompkins County with 3.5% followed by Nassau County with 4.1%.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 5.9% in November 2014 to 5.8% in Dec. 2014, its lowest level since September 2008.

The Department also announced Long Island’s top five trending jobs for 2015—selected by labor market analysts based on occupational survey data and the projected needs of their region. The following job titles (and their annual median wage) are likely to see greater than normal growth through the end of 2015:

Registered nurses ($83,220)

Helpers – carpenters ($26,460)

Medical scientists, excluding

epidemiologists ($95,130)

Personal care aides ($25,400)

Software developers, applications

($97,380)

“Statewide, we’re seeing tremendous growth in many areas, especially in the technology and health care fields,” said Acting State Labor Commissioner Mario J. Musolino.

“My administration knows that high property taxes kill jobs and depress the local economy. That is why I repealed the Home Energy Tax and froze property taxes for the past 5 years for those earning under $500,000,” said Nassau County Executive Mangano. “Nassau now having the lowest unemployment rate in the region is evidence that our economic policies have created unprecedented job opportunities for our residents and has sent a clear message to employers to create jobs in our County.”