New York's statewide unemployment rate fell in September from 12.5 percent to 9.7 percent as the private sector added 75,300 jobs, according to numbers released Thursday by the state Department of Labor. 

In New York City, unemployment fell from 16 percent to 14.1 percent as the tourism and hospitality industries continue to face the brunt of the pandemic's aftershocks. 

Nationally the unemployment rate was lower than the city and statewide average last month at 7.9 percent. 

But New York's job growth in the private sector outpaced job growth nationally by 0.7 percent in September for the third month in a row. 

Unemployment in New York and across the country skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic and the shutdown of non-essential businesses and schools in order to prevent furhter spread of the virus. 

The unemployment rate in June reached 15.7 percent statewide and in New York City one in five workers were out of work. 

New York's businesses gradually reopened with pandemic restrictions in place for socially distancing and capacity limits.