ALBANY, N.Y.—As the Legislature and the Governor work to finalize the state budget by April 1, and debate proposals including higher taxes on business, increased wage costs for economic development projects, and new regulatory mandates on employers and state contractors, they should consider today’s sobering jobs report.
The headlines said, New York adds 97,000 jobs over the last 12 months, a 1 percent growth rate, somewhat below the national rate of 1.2%.
But what leaders should really focus on is that beyond the seven counties of New York City and Long Island, the rest of the state saw net growth of just 9,100 jobs. That’s fewer than 14 jobs per county per month. Take the seven counties in the Capital Region and Erie/Niagara out of that figure, and the remaining 48 counties saw a net loss of 3,400 jobs over the last year.
New York, including upstate, has many things going for it - from its people, to its world-class institutions of higher learning, to its abundant natural resources. Unfortunately, for many parts of the state, we continue to put barriers in the way of economic growth.
Let’s adopt a budget that controls spending, avoids new taxes and fees, and rejects costly new compliance mandates – in other words, one that fosters investment and growth.
– This statement is attributed to Heather C. Briccetti, Esq., president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc.