By Joe Olenick<br><a href="mailto:olenickj@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Joe</a>
Unemployment in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area has lost 16,800 jobs from a year ago, according to figures released by the state labor department.
In the Buffalo Niagara Falls metropolitan area, unemployment increased to 8.4 percent, up from 8.3 percent in August.
The only job sectors that saw increases in the number of jobs were education, health care and science technology. The rest of the sectors lost jobs.
“The sector that was hit hard in Western New York was manufacturing,” labor market analyst John Slenker said. “We entered the recession later than the rest of the nation, so it’ll take some time to catch up with the rest of the nation.”
Western New York relies a lot on the automotive industry, Slenker said. And while auto sales have been down for most of the year, sales should improve sometime in the future. Automobiles are considered a temporary commodity, because eventually people replace them. That could help an economic turnaround, both locally and nationally, Slenker said.
One positive from the recession is that Western New York’s economy is becoming more diversified, with less dependency on the auto industry and manufacturing, Slenker said.
In New York state, unemployment remained stable in September at 8.9 percent, the same rate as August. Nationwide, unemployment worsened slightly to 9.8 percent in September, an increase from the 9.7 percent the country saw in August.
Paul Parise, director of the Niagara County Employment and Training Department, said there hasn’t been any change in the number of job-seekers coming to either the Niagara Falls or Lockport offices. The department sees about 2,000 people monthly, on average.
“There are still a lot of job-seekers out there,” Parise said.
The number of job-seekers without a high school diploma or General Education Diploma has stayed about the same. But when they do come to the county employment department, Parise said there is one recommendation the department always makes first.
“We usually encourage them to get their GED,” Parise said. “A lot of employers, about 95 percent, require a high school diploma or GED.”
Slenker said it is only going to get harder to find a job for those without a diploma or GED. They were hit the hardest in unemployment, and making a good living without an education is going to be more difficult, Slenker said.
“A diploma or GED is going to be the bare minimum,” he said.
The job market, in general, is going to become more competitive, Slenker said. But there are things people can do whether or not they have a job.
“You want to gain skills, continue training,” he said. “Keep getting better at things, because this market is going to be competitive for a long time.”
Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241.
