ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) has released the unemployment rates in the Capital Region from January 2022. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 5.4% in December 2021 to 5.3% in January 2022, according to DOL.
Seasonally adjusted means the numbers reflect seasonal influences, such as holiday and summer hires. To determine the unemployment rates for areas around the state, DOL uses methods advised by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, including the results from the Current Population Survey.
According to DOL, in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area, the unemployment rate was 5.6% in January 2021, compared to 3.4% in January 2022. In the Glens Falls metro area, the unemployment rate was 6.5% in January 2021, compared to 4.2% in January 2022. These rates were not seasonally adjusted.
Here are the unemployment rates by county in January 2022 compared to January 2021.
| County | Unemployed Jan. 2022 | Net change from Jan. 2021 | Unemployment rate Jan. 2022 | Net change from Jan. 2021 |
| Albany | 5,200 | -3.7% | 3.4% | -2.3% |
| Columbia | 900 | -0.7% | 3.2% | -2% |
| Dutchess | 5,000 | -3.1% | 3.5% | -2.2% |
| Fulton | 1,100 | -0.5% | 4.8% | -2.1% |
| Greene | 800 | -0.5% | 4% | -2.3% |
| Montgomery | 1,100 | -0.6% | 4.9% | -2.3% |
| Rensselaer | 2,900 | -1.6% | 3.6% | -2% |
| Saratoga | 3,600 | -2.4% | 3% | -2% |
| Schenectady | 2,900 | -2% | 3.8% | -2.6% |
| Schoharie | 600 | -0.3% | 4.3% | -1.8% |
| Ulster | 3,200 | -2.2% | 3.7% | -2.6 |
| Warren | 1,400 | -0.7% | 4.4% | -2.5% |
| Washington | 1,100 | -0.5% | 4.1% | -1.9% |
The unemployment rate in every county decreased between January 2021 and January 2022. The county with the highest unemployment rate in January 2022 was Montgomery with 4.9% and the lowest was Saratoga with 3%.
A study by WalletHub from January shows that New York has the fifth-worst unemployment rate recovery in the United States. Another WalletHub study shows that weekly unemployment claims are almost 40% lower this year compared to 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused unemployment rates around the country to significantly rise. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 44 states reached their highest level of recorded unemployment ever in April or May of 2020.
