Participants at a job fair in Melville earlier this year

Participants at a job fair in Melville earlier this year Credit: Steve Pfost

The Long Island job market continued its decline in September, according to new State Labor Department data released this afternoon.

The Island had 12,800 fewer jobs in September than it did the year before, the data show.

The private sector had 8,100 fewer jobs than it did a year ago, and the public sector had 4,700 fewer. The department makes year-to-year comparisons because the data aren't seasonally adjusted for unusual monthly occurrences. September marks the fifth-straight month of year-over-year declines.

The professional and business-services category added the most jobs, 2,300. Leisure and hospitality lost the most, 5,500.

The department will release the Island's unemployment rate on Tuesday.

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