George E. Pataki, Governor August 2005

T

Linda Angello, Commissioner

numbers in thousands)

Change in Nonfarm JobsJune 2004 - June 2005

(Data not seasonally adjusted,

At a Glance

%Net

Continued on page 3

Reflection of State's Changing Economy...

Total Nonfarm Jobs 76.2 0.9

Private Sector 78.9 1.1

Goods-producing -13.6 -1.4

Nat. res. & mining 0.3 5.0

Construction 5.5 1.7

Manufacturing -19.4 -3.2

Durable gds. -7.5 -2.2

Nondurable gds. -11.9 -4.6

Service-providing 89.8 1.2

Trade, trans., & util. 9.0 0.6

Wholesale trade -3.9 -1.1

Retail trade 13.2 1.5

Trans., wrhs., & util. -0.3 -0.1

Information 0.8 0.3

Financial activities 10.8 1.5

Prof. & bus. svcs. 21.1 2.0

Educ. & health svcs. 29.3 2.0

Leisure & hospitality 16.8 2.4

Other services 4.7 1.3

Government -2.7 -0.2

IN JUNE......NYS private sector jobs increased

...NYS unemployment decreased

...NYS unemployment rate down

Seasonally adjusted

Seasonally adjusted

Percent

...NYS labor force participation down

Seasonally adjusted

In 000s

In 000s

Percent

Number ofPrivate Sector Jobs

TotalUnemployment

UnemploymentRates

Employment-Population

Ratio

New York's LargestEmployers–Then and Now

Seasonally adjusted

In June 2005, New York’s seasonallyadjusted unemployment rate was 4.9percent, down from 5.0 percent in May.(The nation’s unemployment rate was 5.0percent in June.) In June 2005, the statehad 8,525,100 nonfarm jobs, including7,037,600 private sector jobs, afterseasonal adjustment. The number of privatesector jobs in the state increased by 0.1percent from May. (The nation’s privatesector job count also increased by 0.1percent over the month.) From June2004 to June 2005, the number of privatesector jobs increased by 1.1 percent in thestate and increased by 1.8 percent in thenation (not seasonally adjusted). Inaddition, New York’s employment-population ratio, a measure of labor forceparticipation, decreased in June.

he NYSDOL web site listsNew York’s current largestemployers both at thestatewide and county lev-

els. These lists have many workforceand economic development applica-tions. Additional insights can be ob-tained by examining the changing listof companies that over time haveranked among the state’s “Top 10”private sector employers.

Statewide “Top 10” lists from the past40 years are presented on the next page.Company rankings were obtained fromthe Quarterly Census of Employmentand Wages (QCEW), which is based onemployer Unemployment Insurance re-

ports. A firm's reported employmentlevel in the QCEW is that associated witha single employer identification number,and does not take into account subsidiaryrelationships, mergers, or firms createdby the “spin-off” of a division by a parentfirm. All firm-specific employment lev-els are confidential under New York Statelaw, so only alphabetical lists of thelargest firms are presented here.

Labor Market TrendsSome significant labor market trends

emerge from these lists. Chief amongthem is manufacturing’s long-term de-cline. In 1964, manufacturers made upa majority of New York’s "Top 10" list,

Focus on the Mohawk ValleyEMPLOYMENT IN NEW YORK STATE

Defense Cutbacks–10 Years Laterby Mark Barbano, Labor Market Analyst, Mohawk Valley

2

continued on page 3

T“Despite significant defense-

related downsizing in themid-1990s, the Mohawk

Valley has still added 6,800jobs since 1994.”

Kelli Owens,Regional Administrator,

Central/Mohawk Valley Region

he end of the Cold War broughtwith it massive cutbacks in de-fense-related spending and many

military installation closures that causedjob loss and economic dislocation through-out the U.S. The Mohawk Valley was noexception, as it lost both its largest gov-ernment employer and biggest manufac-turer in short order. This article looks atthe area’s employment picture ten yearsafter these cutbacks.

In 1993, the Base Realignment andClosing Commission (BRAC) an-nounced that the Griffiss Air ForceBase in Rome (Oneida County) wouldbe realigned. The realignment wascompleted by September 30, 1995,and resulted in the loss of 4,500 mili-tary and civilian positions. The ensuingout-migration of military personnel andtheir families contributed, in part, tothe Utica-Rome metro area's 19,000population loss (-6 percent) between1993 and 2000.

In another defense-related announce-ment, Lockheed Martin, the area’s larg-est manufacturer, announced that itwould close its Utica plant in 1996.While plant employment had steadilydeclined from almost 9,000 in 1967 to3,500 in 1985 to 1,000 in 1995, ac-cording to published reports, the an-nouncement still shook the MohawkValley region.

Growing IndustriesDespite these huge dual losses, the

Mohawk Valley’s total nonfarm job countgrew from 184,900 in 1994 to 191,700in 2004, a gain of 6,800 or 3.7 percent.Job growth has been centered in threesectors—accommodation, warehousingand storage, and health care and socialassistance. Accommodation gained, byfar, the most jobs in the region, adding3,900 jobs between 1994 and 2004.Most growth was due to the opening ofthe Oneida Nation’s Turning StoneCasino in July 1993 and its subsequentongoing expansion. The sector alsogrew due to a new hotel at VernonDowns racetrack and the remodeling ofthe Hotel Utica.

Warehousing and storage increased 10-fold, expanding from 300 in 1994 to morethan 2,900 in 2004. This tremendousgrowth started with the opening of a Wal-Mart distribution center in Oneida Countyin the mid-1990s, with subsequent com-pany warehouses in Fulton and Schohariecounties. In addition, a new Target distri-bution center opened in MontgomeryCounty in 2005. Distribution centers area good match for the region due to thearea’s central location, infrastructure andavailable labor supply. Also, jobs in thissector have often provided good employ-ment opportunities for dislocated manu-facturing workers.

From 1994 to 2004, employment atnursing and residential care facilities grewby 2,200, or 25 percent, to 10,700 in2004. The industry is one of only four toemploy at least 10,000 workers in 2004in the Mohawk Valley. The job count inthe social assistance sector grew from5,300 in 1994 to 6,600 in 2004, a gainof 1,300 or 25 percent over the ten-yearperiod. The sector provides many entry-level opportunities for personal and homecare aides, home health aides, teacherassistants, and child care workers.

Manufacturing Dominates LossesThe region’s manufacturing sector ex-

perienced the most pronounced jobdeclines over the 1994-2004 period.

NYS’s 10 Largest Private Sector Employers,Selected Years

(companies are listed in alphabetical order)

1964A&P Corp.Consolidated Edison

Eastman KodakGeneral ElectricGeneral Motors

Grumman AerospaceIBM Corp.Metropolitan Life

New York TelephoneSperry-Rand

1974A&P Corp.Chase Manhattan

Consolidated EdisonEastman KodakGeneral Electric

General MotorsGrumman AerospaceIBM Corp.

Metropolitan LifeNew York Telephone

1984Chase ManhattanConsolidated Edison

Eastman KodakFirst National City BankGeneral Electric

General MotorsGrumman AerospaceIBM Corp.

Manufacturers HanoverNew York Telephone

1994Chase ManhattanChemical BankConsolidated Edison

Eastman KodakGeneral MotorsIBM Corp.

New York TelephoneUPSWegmans

Xerox

2004Chase ManhattanColumbia UniversityCornell University

Eastman KodakHome DepotIBM Corp.

University of RochesterVerizonWal-Mart

Wegmans

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

EMPLOYMENT IN NEW YORK STATE

New York's Largest Employers... from page 1

Unemployment Rates in New York StateData Not Seasonally Adjusted

3

Employment in New York State

is published 12 times a year. For achange of address, write to the Publica-tions Unit at the address below andprovide your old as well as new address.

Division of Research and StatisticsNew York State Department of LaborBuilding 12, State CampusAlbany, N.Y. 12240

Mohawk Valley.. from page 2

JUNE’05

JUNE’04

JUNE’05

JUNE’04

JUNE’05

JUNE’04

Director David J. TrzaskosEditor Kevin JackDirector of Communications Robert LillpoppGraphic Design Kim HardinEditorial Advisor Christine Perham

New York State 5.9 4.7Capital 4.3 3.8Albany 4.3 3.9Columbia 4.3 3.5Greene 5.1 4.5Rensselaer 4.6 4.0Saratoga 3.8 3.4Schenectady 4.5 4.2Warren 4.1 3.7Washington 4.3 4.0Central New York 5.5 4.8Cayuga 4.9 4.4Cortland 5.9 4.7Onondaga 5.2 4.5Oswego 6.9 6.2Finger Lakes 5.2 4.6Genesee 5.0 4.2Livingston 5.8 4.8Monroe 5.3 4.6Ontario 4.6 4.2Orleans 6.1 5.5Seneca 5.1 4.2Wayne 4.9 4.8Wyoming 5.5 5.0Yates 4.2 4.1

Hudson Valley 4.6 4.0Dutchess 4.3 3.9Orange 4.8 4.0Putnam 4.0 3.7Rockland 4.7 3.9Sullivan 5.0 4.3Ulster 4.9 4.1Westchester 4.6 4.0Mohawk Valley 5.2 4.8Fulton 5.4 4.9Herkimer 5.2 4.5Madison 5.3 4.9Montgomery 5.4 5.0Oneida 5.1 4.8Schoharie 5.3 4.5North Country 6.0 5.2Clinton 5.9 5.0Essex 5.1 4.7Franklin 6.1 5.2Hamilton 4.2 3.6Jefferson 6.1 5.3Lewis 5.5 5.5St. Lawrence 6.7 5.6

Southern Tier 5.2 4.5Broome 5.3 4.8Chemung 6.1 5.3Chenango 5.3 4.5Delaware 4.3 3.9Otsego 4.4 3.9Schuyler 5.0 4.8Steuben 6.3 5.4Tioga 5.2 4.3Tompkins 4.1 3.4Western New York 5.7 5.2Allegany 6.3 5.4Cattaraugus 5.7 5.0Chautauqua 5.4 4.6Erie 5.7 5.2Niagara 5.7 5.4Long Island 4.6 4.1Nassau 4.7 4.1Suffolk 4.5 4.0New York City 7.3 5.3Bronx 9.3 6.8Kings 7.8 5.7New York 6.5 4.7Queens 6.6 4.9Richmond 6.6 4.7

Miscellaneous manufacturing experi-enced the largest numeric job loss of anyspecific industry, falling 2,500, to 1,000in 2004. Declines were dominated bylayoffs and the eventual closing of OneidaLtd.'s manufacturing operations in Oneidaand Madison counties. Leather and alliedproduct manufacturing lost 1,400 jobsbetween 1994 and 2004 due, in part, toclosings at Feuer Leather Corp. andDaniel Green Co. Apparel manufactur-ing employment fell from 1,300 in1994 to 200 in 2004. J.E. MorganKnitting Mills and P & K Dress Corpo-ration closed during the time period.Employment in computer and elec-tronic products dipped from 3,300 in1994 to 2,100 in 2004, with most ofthe decline occurring in the mid-1990sdue to the aforementioned LockheedMartin closing.

SummaryDespite substantial defense-related job

cutbacks in the mid-1990s, the MohawkValley region has gained 6,800 jobs overthe past ten years. New hiring has beenmost pronounced in accommodation,transportation and warehousing, andhealth care and social assistance sectors.These industries, which helped to miti-gate the negative employment effects ofdefense cutbacks that shook the region,are expected to continue to add jobs andhelp grow the Mohawk Valley's regionaleconomy in the future.

placing six firms among this group.Manufacturers still occupied five slots onthe "Top 10" lists in 1974 and 1984, butby 2004 had slipped to only two (EastmanKodak and IBM). Interestingly, these twocompanies and New York Telephone(now Verizon) were the only firms toappear on both the 1964 and 2004 lists.

A much more recent (and less well-publicized) trend is the emergence ofpost-secondary educational institutionsas leading employers in the state. From1994 to 2004, overall education employ-ment grew at a steady pace, driven moreby long-term demographic trends than bythe business cycle. As a result, threeuniversities (Columbia, Cornell, and Roch-ester) made the 2004 list, where noneappeared just 10 years earlier.

The increase in the number of retailersmaking the “Top 10” list is also of recentvintage. Two “big-box” retailers (HomeDepot and Wal-Mart) and a grocer(Wegmans) made the 2004 list; however,Wegmans was the only retailer on 1994’slargest employers list.

A more subtle change in the structureof the state’s labor market is the dramaticdrop in the total number of jobs ac-counted for by "Top 10" firms and theirshrinking share of all private sector jobsin New York. For example, combinedemployment at "Top 10" firms in 1964was just under 350,000, representing7.0 percent of the state’s private sectorjob count. The percentage of statewide

private sector jobs at "Top 10" firmspeaked in 1970 at 7.7 percent (about415,000 workers), and by 2004, haddeclined to only 3.3 percent (about225,000 workers).

SummaryThe companies and industries repre-

sented among New York’s largest employ-ers have changed over the past 40 years,reflecting ongoing shifts in the industrialcomposition of the state’s economy.

For a current list of the 50 largestprivate sector employers in New YorkState, visit the NYSDOL web site atwww.labor.state.ny.us, click on“Workforce and Industry data”, and thenthe "Largest 50 Private Sector Employ-ers" link. by Kevin Jack and Sean Leathem

State of New YorkDepartment of Labor

Division of Research and StatisticsW. Averell Harriman Office Building

CampusAlbany, New York 12240

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

FIRST-CLASS MAILPOSTAGE & FEES PAIDEmployment Security

Permit No. G-12

EMPLOYMENT IN NEW YORK STATE

REGIONAL ANALYSTS’ CORNER

http://64.106.160.140:8080/lmi/index.html

RS-2

FINGER LAKESWILLIAM RAMAGE

585-258-8870Private sector employ-ment in the Rochesterarea declined 4,900, or1.1 percent, over theyear to 428,600 in June2005. Employmentgains in educational andhealth services (+1,900)and professional andbusiness services (+300)were overshadowed bydeclines centered inmanufacturing (-4,200),trade, transportationand utilities (-1,300),and financial activities(-1,000).

NORTH COUNTRYALAN BEIDECK 518-891-6680

Private sector employment in the North Country region increased overthe year by 800, or 0.7 percent, to 116,700 in June 2005. The largestgains were in trade, transportation and utilities (+500), natural re-sources, mining and construction (+400), and educational and healthservices (+400). Losses were centered in manufacturing (-300).

SOUTHERN TIERJOSEPH KOZLOWSKI 607-741-4485

Private sector employment in the Southern Tier fell 1,200, or0.5 percent, to 253,400 over the 12-month period endingJune 2005. Job gains in educational and health services(+500), trade, transportation and utilities (+300), and leisureand hospitality (+200) were overshadowed by losses inmanufacturing (-1,200) and other services (-500).

MOHAWK VALLEYMARK BARBANO315-793-2282

Private sector employment in theUtica-Rome metro area fell 1,200,or 1.2 percent, to 100,000 for the12-month period ending June2005. Gains in educational andhealth services (+500) were over-shadowed by losses in manufac-turing (-800), professional andbusiness services (-600) and lei-sure and hospitality (-300). Totalgovernment employment in-creased (+200) due to growth atthe Oneida Nation’s enter-prises (which are classi-fied as part of localgovernment.)

WESTERN NYJOHN SLENKER716-851-2742

Private sector employment inthe Buffalo-Niagara Falls metroarea increased by 1,600, or 0.3percent, to 459,400 over the12 months ending June 2005.Gains were posted in naturalresources, mining and construc-tion (+800), other services(+700), financial activities(+600), professional and busi-ness services (+600), and edu-cational and health services(+500). Manufacturing (-1,400)and information (-300) declined.

CAPITAL DISTRICTJAMES ROSS

518-462-7600From June 2004 to June 2005, the number of privatesector jobs in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy areaincreased by 6,000, or 1.8 percent, to 343,800, arecord high for the month. Job gains were centeredin educational and health services (+2,000), profes-sional and business services (+1,000), trade, transpor-tation and utilities (+800), financial activities (+600),information (+500), and manufacturing (+400).

HUDSON VALLEYSEAN MacDONALD

914-997-8798Private sector employment in the HudsonValley area increased over the year by17,100, or 2.3 percent, to 760,100 in June2005. Employment gains were largest ineducational and health services (+4,300),professional and business services (+3,500),trade, transportation and utilities (+3,000),and leisure and hospitality (+2,600).Manufacturing (-400) and information(-400) posted losses over the year.

CENTRAL NYROGER EVANS315-479-3388

Private sector employ-ment in the Syracuse arearose 4,300, or 1.6 per-cent, to 267,400 for the12-month period endingJune 2005. Job creationwas concentrated in pro-fessional and businessservices (+1,400), edu-cational and health ser-vices (+1,100), leisureand hospitality (+700),and trade, transportation,and utilities (+600). In-formation (-200) shedjobs over the year.

Equal O

pportu

nity E

mplo

yer/Program

Auxiliary aid

s and services are availab

le upon req

uest to

individ

uals w

ith d

isabilities.

Divisio

n o

f Research

and S

tatistics, New

York S

tate Dep

artmen

t of Lab

or

NEW YORK CITYJAMES BROWN 212-621-9353

Private sector employment in New York City rose 39,800, or 1.3percent, to 3,043,100 for the 12-month period ending June 2005.Over-the-year private sector job growth accelerated in June witheducational and health services (+12,800) and leisure and hospitality(+11,600) adding the most jobs.

LONG ISLANDGARY HUTH 516-934-8533

Private sector jobs on Long Island increasedover the year by 12,300, or 1.2 percent, to1,066,000 in June 2005. Gains werelargest in professional and business services(+4,000), educational and health services(+3,400), leisure and hospitality (+2,500),trade, transportation and utilities (+1,100),and natural resources, mining and construc-tion (+700). Information lost jobs (-300)over the year.

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/enys_index.shtm