The national unemployment rate might have seen a decline last month, but of course New York just has to be different from the rest of America. The city's unemployment rate rose above 9 percent in January, despite the fact that NYC began the year with more available jobs than ever.
According to State Labor Department numbers, the uptick in the city's unemployment rate was slight, up from 8.8 percent in December 2012. And though national jobs news has been good recently, both state and national unemployment rates saw a slight rise at the beginning of the year as well. Plus, the city unemployment rate was at 9.4 percent in January 2012, and don't forget about that scary rise to 10 percent over the summer. The city also gained 19,000 jobs in January, adding up to a total of 3.94 million jobs in the city, the highest number the city's ever seen. Economists suggest the conflicting rise in unemployment might be related to an increase in unemployed people looking for work, as opposed to an increase in job losses.
