clarinews@clarinet.com (02/02/90)
_n_._j_. NEW YORK (UPI) -- Unemployment in New York City held at a high 7 percent in January, compared with 4.7 percent in the rest of the state and 4.6 percent in New Jersey, the Labor Department reported Friday. There were 3,174,000 York City residents working last month and 240,000 without jobs, said Samuel M. Ehrenhalt, regional commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national jobless figure in January was 5.3 percent. New York State's 4.7 percent was a drop from December's 5.5 percent, Ehrenhalt said. Ehrenhalt attributed the decline to a dip in labor market activity, noting that a year ago the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, about the same as this January. There were 409,000 workers unemployed in New York State in January, down from 484,000 in December, and about unchanged from a year ago. The number of employed held at 8.3 million, Ehrenhalt said. New Jersey's 4.6 percent unemployment was a hike from December's 3.7 percent. The state had 3,810,000 employed and 184,000 without jobs in January, he said. In reviewing 1989, Ehrenhalt said the jobless rate in New York State rose to 5.1 percent for the year, compared with 4.2 percent in 1988. He said the jobless rate for whites rose over the year to 4.3 percent from 3.7 percent in 1988. The rate for black enemployed rose to 10.9 percent from 7.3 percent, and the Hispanic rate was 7.9 percent, compared to 6.3 percent in 1988. In New Jersey, Ehrenhalt said the jobless rate was 4.1 percent in 1989, up slightly from 3.8 percent in 1988. He said the uneployment rate for whites was up to 3.5 percent in 1989 from 3.1 percent in 1988. The jobless rate for blacks was 8.6 percent, unchanged from the previous year. Hispanic unemployment edged up to 6.1 percent, compared with 5.5 percent in 1988.