SULLIVAN COUNTY –– The latest preliminary job data from the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) for July 2022, yielded positive news for Sullivan County on a couple of fronts.

First, three Counties (Sullivan, Putnam and Rockland) were tied for the lowest unemployment rate in the Hudson Valley Region, at 3.2 percent.

Second, within the region, Sullivan County’s private employment sector grew the fastest year-over-year, up 11.6 percent. That number gives the County the second fastest year-over-year growth of the 24 counties in the “Small Counties,” category, with Sullivan trailing only Hamilton County, who saw a 23.1 percent year-over-year growth rate from July 2021 to 2022.

Regionwide, the July 2022 unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, which is up from 3.1 percent in June 2022 and down from 4.9 percent in July 2021. The NYSDOL reports that in July 2022, there were 40,200 unemployed in the region, up from 36,000 in June 2022 and down from 56,700 in July 2021. Year-over-year in July 2022, labor force increased by 27,500 or 2.4 percent, to 1,184,500.

Over the past year, the NYSDOL reports that the private sector jobs count in the Hudson Valley rose by 32,100, or 4.2 percent, to 803,300 in July 2022.

The largest gains were in leisure and hospitality (+8,800), professional and business services (+8,200), educational and health services (+6,000), other services (+4,000), natural resources, mining and construction (+2,800), trade, transportation and utilities (+2,500), manufacturing (+700) and information (+500). Job losses were centered in financial activities (-1,400).

In Sullivan County, the largest gains, like the region, were in the leisure and hospitality sector with 2,100 additional jobs.

Jobs data for August 2022 is expected to be released by the NYSDOL on Thursday, September 15.