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Unemployment Rates (not seasonally adjusted)
Utica-Rome MSA (Oneida and Herkimer
Counties) |
||
May 2008 |
April 2008 |
May 2007 |
5.2% |
5.1% |
4.0% |
Current Employment Statistics
For the 12-month period ending May 2008, the total nonfarm job count in the Utica-Rome metro area increased 100, or 0.1 percent, to 134,300, the highest job total for the month of May since 2001. Job gains occurred in Government (+700), Educational and Health Services (+600), and Leisure and Hospitality (+100). Government employment increased due to expansion at the local (+300), federal (+200), and state (+200) levels.
Losses were recorded in Financial Activities (-500), Manufacturing
(-500), Information (-100), Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-100), and
Other Services (-100). Over-the-year declines are expected to continue in the
Financial Activities sector due to the closing of the Federal Reserve’s
check processing facility and the consolidation of back office positions in
the acquisition of Partner's Trust Bank by M&T Bank.
Good News
Mascoma Corp., a research and development company focusing on energy-efficient commercial production of cellulosic ethanol located in Rome's Griffiss Business and Technology Park (Oneida County), has entered into equity-partnership with General Motors. GM has pledged to make half its vehicle production ethanol-compatible by 2012. No details were provided on the size of its equity stake and amount of its investment. Construction of Mascoma's production facility is on track to reach production capacity by the end of the year with projected employment of 10.
Fiberdyne Labs has announced the creation of a new division, Fiberdyne Energy, which will be focused on developing light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Currently, Fiberdyne has locations in Frankfort and Herkimer (Herkimer County) and has 180 employees nationwide. Fiberdyne's Frankfort manufacturing facility will be expanded during the summer of 2008 to allow for production of Fiberdyne Energy products. No specifics of new jobs being created by the expansion have been provided, but Fiberdyne has openings for engineers, sales people and quality-control testers.
Remington Arms, located in Ilion (Herkimer County), has received $3 million in state funding to aid a $14.3 million renovation project. Remington will also be bringing 100 new jobs to the Ilion manufacturing facility from the recently acquired H&R Firearms of Gardner, Mass. Some key H&R employees will be relocated to the area, but the bulk of the new positions will be filled by local workers. The addition of 100 employees will bring Remington's Ilion workforce to 900.
Fermer Precision, a manufacturer of precision metal products located in Cedarville (Herkimer County), has received a $300,000 state grant to purchase high-precision milling and turning machinery. Fermer plans to add between 10 and 15 employees in the next year bringing its workforce to over 85 employees.
Focus on the Mohawk Valley
The
Mohawk Valley’s Export Industries
By Mark Barbano, Labor Market Analyst, Mohawk Valley Region
(Excerpted from the February 2008 issue of the Employment in New York State
newsletter)
What’s in a name? Some places earn their nicknames from their dominant industry. For example, the automotive sector gives Detroit the title of “Motor City,” Hollywood is acknowledged as the “Film Capital of the World,” and Akron is known as the “Rubber Capital of the World.” Other areas defined by local industries include the southern part of the San Francisco Bay area known as “Silicon Valley,” and Hershey, which easily earns the sobriquet “Chocolate Town.” But what industries define the Mohawk Valley region?
Location Quotients
Aside from looking at industry employment totals, one of the most useful ways to assess which industries are important to a region’s economy is to review their local job concentration. We do this with a tool called a location quotient (LQ). To calculate an LQ, divide the percentage of a region’s employment in an industry by the percentage of total national employment in that industry. For example, if an industry accounts for 10 percent of jobs in the Mohawk Valley but only 2 percent of national employment, then that industry’s LQ is 5.0 (i.e., 10%÷2%). LQs significantly greater than 1.0 (usually above 1.25) typically indicate that a region specializes in that industry and that the industry exports to areas outside the region.
Local Export Industries
What are some industries in the Mohawk Valley with high LQs? At 11.08, leather and allied product manufacturing easily has the highest LQ in the region. The industry is centered in Fulton County and employs 590 locally. The industry’s average wage was $36,300 in 2006, higher than the average of $31,800 for all industries in the region. However, since 2000 this industry's employment count has declined 35 percent. Occupations in the leather industry include shoe and leather workers and repairers, sewing machine operators, inspectors and sales representatives.
The LQ for the Mohawk Valley’s warehousing and storage industry is 5.10. The region is home to distribution centers for companies such as Wal-Mart, Target, Rite-Aid, and Family Dollar. With total employment of 4,665 in 2006, it is the largest of the export industries profiled here. Job growth in this industry has been robust, more than doubling since 2000. Annual industry wages averaged $31,400 in 2006. Representative occupations include laborers, stock clerks and order fillers, shipping and receiving clerks, industrial truck operators, hand packers and packagers and truck drivers.
Primary metal manufacturing, with a location quotient of 4.50, employed 3,028 in the Mohawk Valley in 2006. This industry’s employment is well below historical highs, it still rose 11.6 percent from 2003 to 2006. This rate compares favorably to the 7.0 percent decline experienced by all other local manufacturing industries over the same period. The average wage in this industry was $43,700 in 2006, 37.2 percent higher than the region’s average wage. Representative industries include copper wire and aluminum extruded products. Prevalent occupations include furnace operators, material moving laborers, extruding and drawing machine operators, and rolling machine operators.
The local textile mills industry has a location quotient of 2.32. Local industry employment, which is centered in Fulton and Montgomery counties, totaled 654 in 2006, while the average wage was $35,800. The industry’s job count has been in long-term decline, dropping 790 (or almost 55 percent) between 2000 and 2006. However, employment levels have been relatively steady since 2002. Occupations in this industry include sales representatives, textile knitting and weaving machine operators, textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators, sewing machine operators and coating, painting and spraying machine operators.
Summary
Although the four export industries profiled here only account for about 5 percent of total employment in the Mohawk Valley, their high location quotients indicate they play a key role in the region’s economy by bringing in money from outside the region. These funds, in turn, produce additional income and employment within the region. Most of these export industries have wage levels at or above the region’s average. And while some industries, such as leather and allied product manufacturing, have declined markedly in recent years, other, newer industries have grown robustly. The “Warehousing and Storage Capital of New York State” may not be as catchy a phrase as the “Motor City” or “Silicon Valley,” but this industry plays an integral part in the region’s economy.
For more information on expansions and contractions at business' located in Herkimer, Madison and Oneida counties please visit: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/moh/mohec.shtm
Information compiled by the Labor Market Analysts
of the
Division of Research and Statistics
New York State Department of Labor
Mohawk Valley Regional Office
(315) 793-2282
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