Labor Market

NYS Department of Labor

Current Employment Statistics (CES)

Nonfarm employment estimates–by place of work–provide the most up-to-date employment estimates available by industry. Estimates are based on the monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey of over 18,000 businesses, which uses probability sampling methodology and is based on the NAICS classification system.

Historic data are available back to 1990.

Geography	Industries	Seasonality*
NYS & All MSAs	All	NSA
NYC	All	NSA
NYS	Major	SA
NYC	Total	SA
All MSAs	Total	SA

* NSA = Not Seasonally Adjusted; SA = Seasonally Adjusted

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)

Employment information by place of work is based on quarterly reports from employers covered under New York State’s Unemployment Insurance Law. Data is available about six months following the end of the reported quarter and is less current than non-farm employment estimates.

Data is available from 2000 to the present. Prior to 2018, data are available down to the 3-digit NAICS level. For 2018 going forward, data are available down to the six-digit level.

Annual

Geography	Emp.	Salary	Wages	Est.
NYC
NYS
MSAs
Counties
Regions

* EMP. = Total Employment; Salary = Average Salary; Wages = Total wages; Est. = The Number of Establishments.

Unemployment

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Employment Situation

The Employment Situation Report presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current Population Survey and the Current Employment Statistics survey. The household survey provides information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. The establishment survey provides information on employment, hours, and earnings of employees on nonfarm payrolls.

Dataset
Total Nonfarm (SA, Thousands)
Monthly Change in Total Nonfarm (SA, Thousands)
Total Nonfarm (NSA, Thousands)
Unemployment Rate (%)
U6 Underemployment Rate (%)
Labor Force Participation Rate (%)
Average Hourly Earnings (SA)
Average Hourly Earnings (NSA)

Jobless Claims

These datasets track the number of people who have filed jobless claims with the appropriate government labor office; typically, in order to receive unemployment benefits. State numbers are one-week lagged.

Dataset
US Initial Jobless Claims (SA, Thousands)
US Initial Jobless Claims 4-Week Moving Average (SA, Thousands)
US Initial Jobless Claims (NSA, Thousands)
US Continuing Jobless Claims (SA, Thousands)
US Continuing Jobless Claims (NSA, Thousands)
NYS Initial Jobless Claims (NSA, Thousands)
NYS Continued Jobless Claims (NSA, Thousands)

Current Population Survey (CPS)

The Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the United States.

Dataset
NYC, 2000 to 2021 (Selected Variables)