Island adds 54,200 jobs; still down 42,800 since pre-Covid 

Long Island’s economy added 54,200 jobs last month compared with a year ago, though the total number of jobs still isn’t back to where it was before COVID-19 struck, according to new data from the state Department of Labor.

The job gains were strongest in leisure/hospitality, up 20,900 positions, year over year, professional/business services, up 11,000, and public schools, up 4,500. The biggest contraction was at private colleges and grade schools, down 1,700, the data show.

Shital Patel, a labor market analyst in the department’s Hicksville office, said on Thursday the hiring by restaurants and bars last month compared with January 2022 is noteworthy: 1,000 employees added month over month, when 400 people are hired in a typical February. 

“The [restaurant] industry overall is definitely making up for the tough job losses during the pandemic…It’s just 1,400 [jobs] below the pre-pandemic level,” Patel said. The industry is up 14,700 jobs compared with a year earlier.

Patel also said several sectors posted record employment increases for a February, including health care, administrative services and wholesale trade. 

However, the job market in Nassau and Suffolk counties remains down 42,800 positions, or 3.2%, from its pre-pandemic level.

The sectors with the most jobs to make up are private education/health services, 17,600 positions, department stores/clothing stores, down 6,200, and construction, down 4,100 since before the coronavirus. 

“The recovery has been uneven between the different sectors” of the local economy, Patel said.

Employment in the state and nation also are below their pre-pandemic levels by 5.1% and 1.3%, respectively. 

John A. Rizzo, an economist and Stony Brook University professor, said Nassau and Suffolk are rapidly making up for the jobs lost in the COVID-induced recession of 2020.

But he and others said another economic downturn could be in the offing because of rising gasoline prices and the war in Ukraine.

“We still have to worry about inflation – that’s a major headwind that’s not going away anytime soon,” Rizzo said. “There is the possibility of recession.” 

Steven Kent, an economics professor in Molloy College’s School of Business, said he’s concerned that the number of people who have jobs or are looking for employment hasn’t returned to its pre-pandemic level. A shortage of workers can slow economic growth, he said.

“There are concerns about whether people who dropped out of the labor force during the pandemic will return,” Kent said.

Still, local business leaders expressed optimism about the latest job numbers.

“Long Island has regained thousands of jobs lost to the pandemic, which is a positive sign that our economy is rebounding. But we are not out of the woods yet,” said Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association business group.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.