SULLIVAN COUNTY ––According to preliminary data released by the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL), Sullivan County’s private sector jobs grew the fastest year-over-year, up 7.6 percent, for January.

This included 600 new leisure and hospitality jobs, 300 new jobs in both the trade, transportation and ultilities, and educational and health service sectors, as well as 200 new jobs in the professional and business services’ category, and 100 new government positions.

Looking at the Hudson Valley region’s year-over-year numbers overall, the private sector job count in the Hudson Valley rose by 16,900, or 2.2 percent, to 775,100. 

Gains were greatest in educational and health services (+6,200), leisure and hospitality (+4,900), natural resources, mining and construction (+3,700), trade, transportation and utilities (+1,800), professional and business services (+1,100), manufacturing (+600) and financial activities (+400).  Losses were centered in information (-1,000) and other services (-800). 

According to the NYSDOL, the region’s private sector job count continued to expand, with seven sectors adding jobs for the 12 months through January 2023 while just two reported job losses.  Aided by strength in its health care component, the region’s educational and health services sector grew by 3.0 percent – its strongest year-over-year January growth since 2017.  

Despite the possibility of a national recession, accompanied by rising interest rates, the natural resources, mining, and construction sector continued trending upward, climbing 7.0 percent over the period – its strongest year-over-year January growth since 2019.

 The second fastest growth was recorded in the Kingston MSA (+4.4 percent), followed by the Orange-Rockland-Westchester labor market area (+2.2 percent), and the Dutchess-Putnam Metropolitan Division (+0.7 percent).