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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. issued the following statement regarding the unemployment figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor, which showed the City’s unemployment rate was 10.3 percent in September, up from 10.2 percent in August:
“It is troubling that the upward trend in unemployment continued into September, causing thousands of New Yorkers remain jobless while they struggle to make ends meet. In fact, we have seen the number of long-term unemployed New Yorkers skyrocket, showing us that many of our friends, family and neighbors have been reeling from this recession for quite some time. While we can point to recent gains in the stock market and other economic indicators that show our economy may be recovering, the fact remains that more and more New Yorkers are feeling the long-term effects of this recession and will continue to do so for months to come.”
Note: the August unemployment rate was revised from 10.3 percent to 10.2 percent by the State Department of Labor.
Comptroller Thompson has created a chart illustrating the quarterly average of the City’s unemployed, according to their duration of unemployment, which indicates the long-term effects this recession is having on New Yorkers. The chart shows the number of people who have been unemployed for a prolonged time (six months or more) drastically increased in the third quarter of 2009.
New York City Unemployed |
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by Duration of Unemployment Spell |
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Net Change |
Net Change |
Duration of Unemployment: |
1Q09 |
2Q09 |
3Q09 |
From 1Q |
From 2Q |
Less than 5 weeks |
61,437 |
52,820 |
70,430 |
8,993 |
17,610 |
5 to 14 weeks |
108,347 |
80,737 |
103,477 |
-4,870 |
22,740 |
15 to 26 weeks |
59,243 |
98,523 |
77,563 |
18,320 |
-20,960 |
27 to 52 weeks |
65,740 |
69,336 |
111,497 |
45,757 |
42,161 |
53 to 79 weeks |
14,343 |
16,750 |
26,797 |
12,454 |
10,047 |
80 weeks or more |
15,504 |
43,227 |
35,743 |
20,239 |
-7,484 |
Total |
324,613 |
361,393 |
425,507 |
100,894 |
64,114 |
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Source: NYC Comptroller's Office from CPS Microdata
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“These numbers don’t lie,” Thompson said. “More than one-quarter of all unemployed New Yorkers in the third quarter were jobless for more than six months, illustrating the prolonged effects of this recession. We must ensure that all who are suffering have the resources necessary to help them weather this fiscal storm.”
Additional news available at www.comptroller.nyc.gov
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New York City Comptroller’s Office press@comptroller.nyc.gov / Main: (212) 669-3747 / Fax: (212) 669-8879
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