Nearly 1,000 more working in Orleans compared to year ago
Photo by Tom Rivers: Brunner International in Medina, which produces components for heavy-duty trucks and trailers, is looking for more employees. The low unemployment rate has businesses competing for dependable and skilled workers.
Orleans County’s unemployment was 4.6 percent in December, much lower than the 6.2 percent in December 2017, according to data from the State Department of Labor.
There were 17,500 people working in county last month, up 800 from the previous December. The number of unemployed was down by 300, from 1,100 to 800.
The 4.6 percent unemployment rate in December ended a three-month streak where the county was below 4 percent. The 3.5 percent rate in October was lowest in Orleans County since at least 1990.
Statewide the number of private sector jobs increased by 120,600 from December 2017 to last month. In December 2018, the number of private sector jobs in the state was 8,243,700, a new all-time high, the DOL reported.
Orleans, at a 4.6 percent unemployment rate, fares better than Niagara, at 4.9 percent, and Wyoming County, 4.8 percent.
Other nearby counties have a lower rate than Orleans: Genesee, 4.1 percent; Monroe, 3.8 percent; and Erie, 3.9 percent.
Columbia County at 2.9 percent has the lowest unemployment rate in the state.
