Chautauqua County Gained Jobs in Three Areas in March; Cattaraugus County Unemployment Also Down
4/24/2014 6:00:14 PM
Although Chautauqua County's jobless rate last month was at its lowest point since March of 2008, outdoor activities are still running behind last year due to our harsh winter. That from State Labor Department Analyst John Slenker, who says the county gained about 400 jobs over the past month, mainly in three areas...
John Slenker: jobs gained in leisure/hospitality, government, and trade
Slenker says the county lost 100 jobs in manufacturing, and had other losses in professional and business services, education, and leisure and hospitality. He says the figures might have been better had there been better weather sooner in March, as construction kind of lagged...
John Slenker: not worried about construction jobs lagging
The overall unemployment rate fell from 8.3% in February to 7.7% in March. Slenker says he expects construction to pick up a lot in April, and, going forward because so many roads, private drives, and parking lots need work due to the harsh winter. He says last month's jobless rate was a big improvement over March 2013, when it was 8.5%.
The jobless rate in Cattaraugus County also went down significantly last month. Slenker says the unemployment rate fell from 8.3% in February to 7.8%. Slenker says "normal seasonal trends" were again at play. But he says the number of jobs fell by 200. He says that was mainly in the area of leisure and hospitality, as the ski season at Holiday Valley began winding down...
John Slenker: Holiday Valley ski season
Slenker says manufacturing in Cattaraugus County held steady in the month of March, while construction was down. He says the unemployment rate was way down from the 9.0% from March 2013. This year, Slenker says the number of jobs are up 100 from that point last year.