The number of private sector jobs in New York increased by 14,500 or 0.2%, in January, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted figures released Thursday by the state Department of Labor.

These put the total number of private sector jobs in the state to 8,466,400 in January. The number of private sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 0.1% in the same period, the department said.

According to the state, private sector jobs (not seasonally adjusted) increased by 155,400 or 1.9%, over the year in January 2025, which is higher than the 1.3% increase in the number of private sector jobs in the U.S.

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 4.4% in January while the state's labor force (seasonally adjusted) decreased by 900.

The number of private sector jobs is calculated by a payroll survey of New York businesses conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The statewide unemployment rate held steady at 4.4% in January. New York City’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.6% to 5.5%. The rest of the state's unemployment rate also remained the same at 3.5% in November.

Luke Parsnow - New York State Politics Digital Content Producer

Luke Parsnow is the New York state politics digital content writer and producer at Spectrum News 1. He is an award-winning writer and political columnist and previously worked for CNYCentral in Syracuse and The Post-Star in Glens Falls, New York.