State report shows wobbly LI jobs recovery

Long Island continued its wobbly jobs recovery in the 12 months ended in January, and for all of 2010 the local employment market was far weaker than the state Labor Department first reported, data released Wednesday show.

The Island had 5,600 more private-sector jobs in January than it did in January 2010, slightly up from the tepid 4,600 in December's year-over-year period.

For the full year, original data had been on track to show a 3,300-job increase, the department said.

Instead, revisions showed that the Island's annual average was down 3,100 jobs in 2010 compared to the annual average for 2009. New York State, on the other hand, added 11,500 jobs last year.

"We know anecdotally that there is a lot of unemployment on Long Island," said Pearl Kamer, chief economist for the nonprofit Long Island Association. "It was still a very weak recovery."

The unemployment rate spiked to 8 percent in January from 7 percent in December, but the department said the rise was seasonal. For the state, the jobless rate rose to 9 percent from 8 percent.

Staffing-company placements reflect that expansion and contraction in demand for seasonal workers.

In October, November and December, Access Staffing in Melville saw an increase in demand from the retail and wholesale industries for temp workers, said John Magloire, chief operating officer. But "a portion tends to drop off in January," he said.

Keith Banks, president of Lloyd Staffing in Melville, also said that his company typically sees a drop in demand for retail temp workers in January. Be he said the post-holiday decline wasn't as noticeable this year because demand for retail temps was lighter.

"Because it wasn't as severe an increase, it didn't seem as drastic on the downside," he said.

The public sector had just 500 more jobs in January than it had a year earlier, mostly because of state government cuts. That number pushed overall job gains, or nonfarm job increases, to 6,100.

The education and health-services category, which includes private educational institutions, gained 4,200 jobs, all from the health subcategory. Construction had the biggest losses, with a 4,600 decline, in part because of seasonal factors.

Magloire of Access Staffing said his firm has seen an increase in demand for placements in such jobs as accounting, office support, information technology and Web design. And he believes that bodes well for the job market.

"We've seen an increase in temporary hiring, which is usually an indicator of companies feeling positive about the outlook," he said.

Gains and losses

Jobs changes on Long Island,

by sector, January 2011 vs. January 2010

Education and health services +4,200

Trade, transportation and utilities +2,900

Professional and business

services

+2,700

Leisure and hospitality

+2,000

Construction, natural resources and mining

-4,600

Manufacturing

-1,400

Information

-1,400

Financial activities

-700

SOURCE: New York State Department of Labor