ALBANY – Hudson Valley private sector jobs increased by 1,900 in the year gone by to 847,000 with Sullivan County posting the strongest gains, up by 3.6 percent year-over-year.

On the other end of the spectrum, Putnam County jobs remained unchanged for the 12-month period.

State Labor Department Analyst Johny Nelson said regionally the largest gains were in private education and health services (+6,600), professional and business services (+1,900) and financial activities (+500).  Job losses were centered in mining, logging and construction (-2,300), trade, transportation and utilities (-1,800), other services (-1,200), leisure and hospitality (-1,000), information (-500) and manufacturing (-300). 

Nelson added in December of last year “job count in the region’s private employment sector climbed to 847,400 – a record high for the month.  Nevertheless, the pace of job growth slowed down considerably – up just 0.2 percent year-over-year – its lowest December growth rate since 2020.  Only three sectors posted year-over-year job gains, while six posted losses.”

Sullivan County’s strongest gain in jobs was followed by Rockland County and Westchester while the Kingston area along with Poughkeepsie and Newburgh lost jobs during 2025.

Statewide the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 4.5 percent in November to 4.6 percent in December 2025. At the same time, New York State’s labor force increased by 43,700.