Employment data shows Long Island is lagging in job growth compared to the rest of New York and the rest of the country.
According to the New York State Department of Labor, Long Island is showing an annual job growth rate of 3%. It had just over 39,000 more jobs last month than it did a year ago.
But it’s been a slow climb to return to pre-pandemic levels. The island has about 42,000 less jobs than it had in June of 2019.
The state’s year-over-year private sector job growth rate is 5.7%, while the rest of the nation’s is over 4.8%.
Officials said these numbers are not cause for concern, and the local economy is actually in a good position.
Jobs in leisure and hospitality on Long Island have shown some of the largest growth, adding close to 11,000 jobs last month, mostly in bars and restaurants. That brings the sector to just 2% below pre-pandemic levels.
