In the first jobs report that shows some 鈥 but not all 鈥 of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the local labor market, the state on Tuesday said Cayuga County's unemployment rate increased to 5.4% in March.
The rate was up from 4.9% in the same month from a year ago. Both the statewide (4.4%) and national (4.5%) rates were also up from prior-year levels. The figures were not adjusted for typical seasonal fluctuations, although the COVID-19 outbreak made March anything but normal.
Cayuga County's March unemployment rate was higher than the 5.1% mark reported for February, an increase that typically does not happen between those two months. A year ago, the March rate dropped 0.4 percentage points from February.
An even more dire April report is likely. In its press release Tuesday, the state Department of Labor said the data for the March unemployment report was collected before the full impact of coronavirus-related closures took effect.
"In addition, data collection rates were lower than normal due to coronavirus-related challenges," the agency said. "As a result, the scope of coronavirus-related unemployment from March is not fully reflected in these figures."
In Cayuga County, the higher jobless rate came from 100 more residents being classified as unemployed, for a total of 1,900, along with a decrease in employed residents of 500. That figure stood at 33,200 in March.
In a separate report released last week, the labor department reported that employers in Cayuga County filled 400 fewer non-farm jobs in March compared with the same month of 2019. That data was also collected from surveys done before the full statewide workplace closure orders went into effect.
Total non-farm jobs was recorded at 24,500, with 18,500 coming from the private sector. Government sector year-over-year job losses totaled 100 while the private sector cut 300 jobs.
