BRONX UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS AGAIN

BRONX UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS AGAIN

Unemployment Down to 6.5%; More Bronxites Employed Today Than Ever Before;

Over 100K More Bronx Residents Working Since May 2009

The Bronx continues to show progress in the areas of job creation and economic development, according to new statistics from the New York State Department of Labor.

The unemployment rate in The Bronx fell to 6.5 percent in October 2015, down from 6.6 percent in September 2015 and 8.9 percent in October 2014.

Those same statistics show that the total number of Bronxites who are employed is 571,700, up from 468,800 in May 2009 when Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. first took office. This is the highest number of Bronxites employed since the Department of Labor began keeping statistics in 1990, and means that over 100,000 more Bronx residents have jobs today than six years ago.

“The Bronx has seen tremendous growth over the past six years, and none of that would have been possible without strong partnerships between our elected officials, community boards, business community, non-profits, neighborhood leaders and our 1.4 million residents, who everyday are working to make our borough a better place to live, work and raise a family,” said Borough President Diaz. “We have cut our unemployment rate in half, and more Bronxites have jobs today than ever before. That is success that we can all be proud of.”

The Department of Labor’s complete release can be found at http://on.ny.gov/1R6npuU.

Since Borough President Diaz took office in 2009, The Bronx has seen more than $7 billion in total development, which has led to the creation of thousands of new jobs. In addition, a new partnership announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in August 2014 between the New York State Department of Labor and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, as part of the “NY Works,” program is placing Bronx residents in these jobs, helping to ensure that new development here benefits everyone, especially Bronxites.