Department of Labor

For the 12-month period ending May 2020, the private sector job count in the Hudson Valley fell by 165,400, or 20.1 percent, to 656,400. Losses occurred in leisure and hospitality (-58,700), trade, transportation and utilities (-34,200), educational and health services (-18,400), professional and business services (-16,900), other services (-16,400), natural resources, mining and construction (-12,300), manufacturing (-6,700), financial activities (-1,100), and information (-700).

The May 2020 over-the-year job losses continues to reflect the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At 656,400, private sector job count has reached its lowest May level since 1995.

Within the region, the Orange-Rockland-Westchester labor market area’s private employment sector declined the fastest year-over-year, down 21.1 percent. They were followed by the Dutchess-Putnam MSA (-18.4 percent), the Kingston MSA (-16.1 percent), and Sullivan County (-12.1 percent).