Politics & Government

'Tough Out There:' Residents React to New Jobs Figures

Residents weigh in on May's stats; national unemployment continues to hover at 9.1 percent

Recent college grads Alyssa Sparano and Kate Fleming of Pleasantville are like a lot of young people who came of working age during the recession, only to be greeted by a shaky recovery.

They are skeptical there's much out there for them or their friends.

"Not many grads are finding work," Sparano said on Friday.

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Fleming quickly agreed. "A lot of our friends are having trouble finding jobs."

And while the young women are waiting for a big change, so are anxious watchers of job figures.

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May's national unemployment numbers, released Friday, were not much different than April's.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that non-farm payroll employment changed little (+54,000) in May, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 9.1 percent.

There was job growth in certain sectors—such as professional and business services, health care and mining—but employment levels in other major private-sector industries were static. Local government employment continued to decline, as well.

Locally—and luckily—the Hudson Valley remains well below the national average for unemployment through April, and remains trending downward.

Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties ended last month with an unemployment rate of 6.3 percent. (Interesting stat: The local unemployment rate in April 2000 was just 3 percent.)

Rocco Cipriano, a retired Pleasantville resident, recognizes it's a hard path.

"It's really tough out there, but you've got to work," he said.

It doesn't seem better on the management side, either.

Richard Goldsmith of Pleasantville is a small business owner.

"I had to let someone go in March of last year, and he still hasn't found new work," Goldsmith said.


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