Town Unemployment at 6.4 Percent

Long Island lost 7,800 jobs in July. It was the third consecutive decline for the region, and, according to the latest report, the largest since March 2010. Even education and health services – usually a bright spot in the labor force – lost 1,300 jobs.

However, the most recent labor report shows some promise.

The region “posted modest gains in construction and the trades and relatively decent gains in professional business services,” said Jim Brown, a labor market analyst for New York State Department of Labor.

Unemployment in Suffolk County and the Town of Huntington increased in July, according to recent Labor Department statistics, the latest of which were released on Tuesday.

In Huntington, the unemployment rate for July was 6.4 percent, up from 6.1 percent a month ago. It was 6.6 percent in July 2010. There were 6,700 Huntington residents listed as unemployed last month, compared to 6,300 in June, and 7,000 a year ago.

In Suffolk, the unemployment rate increased slightly to 7.3 percent in July, up from 6.9 percent in June. It was at 7.2 percent in July 2010.  There were 57,200 Suffolk County residents listed as unemployed in July, down from 57,800 in June, and 50,900 a year ago.

Yet, in Huntington and elsewhere on Long Island, skilled labor – in accounting, graphics, technology, legal, sales and marketing – is in demand. That’s according to Chris Campisi, who manages the Long Island and Queens office of the staffing firm Robert Half.

Business in the past had “cut so deeply, many are hiring full-time,” Campisi said.

That sentiment came as no surprise to Brown, who said professional and business services added 3,000 jobs in June.

“Corporate profits have been strong,” he said.

Consumer spending, he noted, was weak in July, which was why the leisure and hospitality sector – particularly arts and entertainment, which lost 4,800 jobs – did not fare well.

Of the entire Long Island market, Brown said “It’s a mixed picture.”