Babylon Jobless Rate Up Slightly In September

September unemployment figures for Babylon Town released Tuesday by the New York State Department of Labor were 8 percent, a small up tick over 7.9 percent in August and September 2010.

Babylon’s unemployment rate remains the highest among Suffolk County townships, with Islip Town’s 7.6 percent rate landing in second place.

State figures show the county’s unemployment rate at 7 percent, down from 7.1 percent as of August, and lower than September 2010 when the rate was also 7.1 percent.

In the Village of Lindenhurst the jobless rate for September stood at 7.6 percent, the same as August, and far from the 8.1 percent in September of 2010.

The town's current labor force stands at 110,500, with 101,700 residents employed and 8,800 unemployed. In Lindenhurst the total labor force in September was 14,800, with 13,500 residents employed and 1,000 unemployed.

Statewide the unemployment rate was 8.0 percent in September, the same as August and less than the 8.4 percent in September 2010. The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased slightly over the month, from 755,900 in August to 759,000 in September 2011.

Long Island’s unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in September, compared to 6.8 percent in August and down from the year-ago figure of 7.2 percent. The local unemployment rate had declined year-over-year in 13 of the past 15 months and remained unchanged in the other two months.

The national unemployment rate was static in September at 9.1 percent, the same as August, and down from 9.6 percent in September 2010.