Regional unemployment data released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor show many regions of New York have had their unemployment rates fall below 4% in October.

But the jobless rate remained stubbornly high in New York City last month as Broadway reopens and there is a push to strengthen the hard-hit hospitality and tourism sector.

New York state shed about 2 million jobs in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions were put in place to slow the spread of the virus. Since reopening and the vaccine becoming widely available, the recovery has been uneven in New York.

In New York City, the unemployment rate has tumbled in the last year from 11.7% to 8.4%, yet is still more than double that of some areas of New York.

Areas like the Capital Region and Ithaca have unemployment rates below 4%, with Rochester at 4.2% and Syracuse at 4.3%. The Buffalo-Niagara Falls region's unemployment rate stands at 4.7%.

New York City is heavily reliant on tourism and hospitality businesses like restaurants and hotels. With international travel slowly returning, along with offices bringing workers back, the numbers could improve going forward.