By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — New York City’s unemployment rate climbed from 10 percent in November to 10.6 percent in the last month of 2009, according to the state Department of Labor.
State unemployment numbers were also dismal, hitting a 26-year high at 9 percent.
“In December 2009, New York State's unemployment rate remained well below the nation's rate, while employers in the state cut jobs over the past year at a more modest pace than those in the U.S.,” said Peter A. Neenan, director of the Division of Research and Statistics for the Labor Department.
“Experience suggests that the unemployment rate may continue to increase in the early stages of an economic recovery as some firms are slow to hire new workers and job seekers re-enter the labor force.”
Both the city and state have seen considerable jumps in the unemployment rate since the same time last year, as the city’s rate was 7.0 percent in December 2008 and the state’s was 6.6 percent.
The nationwide unemployment rate remained steady at 10 percent from November to December.
