CHENANGO COUNTY – Unemployment figures released by the New York State Department of Labor this week show the unemployment rate in Chenango County has dropped below the 7 percent benchmark for the third consecutive month - good news for the county as this is the first time the local unemployment rate has been less than 7 percent since 2008.
According to the Department of Labor Statistics, July’s unemployment rate in Chenango County currently stands at 6.5 percent; down .4 percent since June. Unemployment county-wide has dropped steadily since January, when it reached 9.7 percent and far exceeded the 2012 average of 8.4 percent.
Chenango’s unemployment rate is presently lower than most surrounding counties, including Madison (7.2 percent), Delaware (7.6 percent), Broome (7.7 percent) and Cortland (7.8 percent). Otsego is the only county of the five surrounding counties with a lower unemployment rate (6.4 percent).
Despite the recent decline in the local unemployment rate, the number of those who are unemployed in the county has stayed steady for the last three months at approximately 1,700 people. Meanwhile, the number of those who are employed has climbed from 23,500 to 24,000 which could be attributed to more people seeking employment or to people who are already employed and moving into the area.
“The nation as a whole is gradually improving,” explained Southern Tier Region Labor Market Analyst Christian Harris. “Over the year, most if not all counties in the state have shown a notable decline in unemployment rates.”
In Chenango County, manufacturing has left a huge impact on the labor market, said Harris, citing local industries such the Raymond Corporation, Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Unison (a subsidiary of GE Aviation) and Chobani that have seen exponential growth over the last year.
The county has seen a 14.6 percent increase (approximately 600 jobs) in manufacturing in since July, 2012, which is likely to lead to growth elsewhere in the local economy as more people have more disposable income. “If you look anyplace else, the longterm trend is down in manufacturing, so it’s nice to see those jobs doing well, especially in a rural county,” said Harris.
Barring any sudden unforseen circumstances, manufacturing jobs are expected to see continued growth for the remainder of the year, while the unemployment rate continues to fall.
“In Chenango County, you don’t have to look too far to know that yogurt is king around there,” Harris added. He pointed out that Chenango unemployment rate is currently ranked 18th in the state. “That’s pretty impressive when you consider the county was ranked 48th in July, 2008. That’s how dramatic Chobani and other businesses have been.”
In Norwich, the Chenango-Delaware-Otsego (CDO) Workforce is still seeing a steady flow of customers who are seeking employment - about 40 people per day, according to CDO Norwich Branch Manager Gary Waffle. But growth in manufacturing has undeniably had a significant effect on the number of jobs in the area, he said.
CDO Workforce continues to work with local industries to offer job-seekers opportunities like the Work Training Program that allows employers to train employees according to the different needs of that industry.
Said Harris, “As long as this momentum continues, I think we will see a slow gradual growth in manufacturing jobs and other job opportunities over the next year.”