LI job growth in October a tepid 6,500

Continuing layoffs in local government slowed Long Island’s job growth in October. The Island had just 6,500 more jobs in October than it did a year earlier, the state Labor Department said Thursday afternoon.

The local government sector, which includes village, county and town jobs, had 4,700 fewer jobs than the year before. That number dragged down the Island's total job gain; the private sector had a more robust gain of 11,200 jobs.

The private-education and health-services sector showed the biggest gains year over year  -- 4,700 jobs. The construction sector showed the biggest decline, dropping 5,600 jobs, a reflection of the local housing market’s continuing woes.

The department uses year-over-year comparisons because the local monthly data aren’t adjusted to account for seasonal fluctuations.

The Labor Department will release the October unemployment rate on Tuesday. The jobless rate was 7.3 percent in September, up slightly from 7.1 percent a year earlier.