Brookhaven Unemployment Rate Falls in July

The unemployment rate in the Town of Brookhaven slid in July to 7.7 percent compared to 8 percent from the same month in 2010, according to data released Tuesday by the New York State Department of Labor.

Last month, the employment rate ticked up slightly year over year to 7.4 percent in 2011 from 7.3 percent in 2010.

While the percentages look better, Jim Brown, a labor market analyst with the New York Department of Labor says that may just be an indicator of another sort. Across the board the unemployment rate is falling as the pool of job seekers dries up.

"Sometimes this is a sign that a population is getting smaller," said Brown. "More commonly, what you are seeing is people giving up on job searches and making decisions to do other things."

He said that the numbers are reduced by people who decide to retire, go back to school or stay home and raise kids instead of working a second family job.

New York State’s unemployment rate as a whole saw a pretty dramatic decrease from 8.6 percent in July 2010 to 8 percent in the same month this year.

In comparison, Suffolk County’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.7 percent this month in 2010 to 7.3 percent this year.

Smithtown enjoys a healthier unemployment rate than Brookhaven. In July the rate dropped to 6.4 percent from 6.8 percent last year. In Islip the rate in July dropped to 7.9 percent when compared to 8.1 percent in 2010.

Riverhead saw a drop in July from 7.1 percent to 6.6 percent year-over-year. Southampton has an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, a .5 percent drop from 6.6 percent in July 2010.

Brown said that in general, the labor force to a degree is a lagging indicator of the health of the economy. People may decide to start looking for work "based on a belief in their ability to find a job."

"It takes a while in a period of high unemployment for people to decide to get out," he said. "While during times of strong economic growth it takes a while to come back in."

Regional Unemployment Rates Comparing July 2011 and July 2010

Region

July 2011

July 2010

Southampton

6.1%

6.6%

Riverhead

6.6%

7.1%

Islip

7.9%

8.1%

Brookhaven

7.7%

8.0%

Smithtown

6.4%

6.8%

Suffolk County

7.3%

7.7%

New York State

8.0%

8.6%

Data Source: New York State Department of Labor Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program