Regional Labor Force Trends in New York State

From Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell University, prepared by Elizabeth (Jade) Womak, Research Support Specialist

The objective of this white paper is to expand on the September 2017 “Labor Force Trends in New York State” report authored by the Office of the New York State Comptroller, and to highlight its findings in regards to the 10 Economic Development Regions of New York State. The September report’s key findings are that 1) the labor force for New York State has been decreasing and 2) there has been a surge in participation of older individuals (65+ years and older) in the labor force.

This white paper will discuss Finding 1, which is notably prevalent in 5 of the 10 Economic Development Regions. Additionally, this white paper will discuss Finding 2 by exploring changes in population growth and labor force shares of “aged-out”prime working age individuals (65+). Unlike the September 2017 report, this paper has a focus on examining labor force trends by Economic Development Region.