WASHINGTON: The unemployment rate in the Dutchess-Putnam region continued to fall in August, according to the state Department of Labor, and continued to be below the state average. The region’s unemployment rate of 4.0 percent dropped from 4.1 in July and 4.3 in August 2015, according to labor statistics compiled by the state Department of Labor. The 4.0 percent tied with Albany-Schenectady-Troy and Glens Falls for the regions with the second-lowest unemployment rate out of 15 metro areas in New York State in August. Ithaca, at 3.7 percent, was the lowest, and New York City was the highest with 5.7 percent.
The data month-to-month is not seasonally adjusted, which means the numbers do not reflect factors including summer hires. Therefore, the most valid comparisons are the year-to-year numbers for the same month. Unemployment rate measures the number of unemployed people actively looking for work during the time period.
