Rockland Job Statistics May Be Misleading

Rockland County has the second lowest unemployment rate of all the state’s counties. But statistics can be misleading, says Al Samuels, president of the Rockland Business Association.

“That is a positive ranking,” Samuels explained. “But it’s not counting some 5,000 residents.” Since last year, Rockland’s workforce has dropped from 144,000 to 139,000, Samuels said. And those 5,000 are likely still here, and remain out of work.

“They’re off the grid because they’re no longer collecting unemployment,” Samuels said.

Corporate restructuring at major companies in the area has also played a role in unemployment. Drug company Pfizer has a laboratory headquarters in Pearl River, one of Rockland’s southernmost municipalities.  The company recently decided to limit future development and shift resources into research, which means less job opportunities for Rocklanders.

Rockland is also a county that is less commuter-friendly—a lack of rail systems means folks working in the city have to hop a bus and then a train. The county’s disconnect from the nearby metropolis means several municipal economies are based on local retail and dining—and it has not been a kind year to those sectors.

In Nyack, a riverfront village in Rockland, store openings and rapid closings are a matter of course. Last summer, Jeff Sapounas opened Chef’s Market on the village’s main drag with high expectations. It boasted healthy eating options within walking distance for many Nyackers. Sapounas’ previous venture in Nyack—an eatery in 2002—was cut short when an 18-wheeler plowed into his building.

But Sapounas’ second try did not take, either, and for economic reasons. Now, the prime real estate is closed down and empty, just one year after opening day.