ALBANY – Spurred by a surge in New York City, job growth in the state surpassed the nation’s average, for the second straight year, in 2000.
The total number of jobs in the state grew by 2.3 percent last year, compared with the national average of 2.1 percent, the state Labor Department reported yesterday. New York’s 4.2 percent unemployment rate in January matched the nation’s for the first time in nearly a decade.
The city had a 5.6 percent unemployment rate in January, down from 5.9 percent in December and 6.4 percent last January.
Overall, New York had 7.168 million private-sector jobs in January, the highest number on record.
“Our policies have better positioned New York to fend off a national economic slowdown,” Gov. Pataki said. Mayor Giuliani recently said the city was the “economic engine” for the state as a whole. The numbers seem to back him up.
New York City saw a 3.3-percent increase in jobs last year, by far the largest jump in the state.
Upstate saw 1.2 percent growth, significantly lower than the state average.
Large urban regions like Buffalo-Niagara Falls, Syracuse and Rochester saw jobs grow by only .3 percent, .9 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.
The health of the upstate economy looms as a major issue in next year’s gubernatorial race. Republican Rick Lazio drew heavy criticism last year when he downplayed the region’s economic woes in his failed Senate bid against Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Democrats have already targeted the upstate economy as one of the primary issues they will use against Pataki next year.