Governor Cuomo frequently asserts that "the arrows are pointed in the right direction" for the upstate New York economy, thanks to state policy changes under his leadership. But approaching the sixth Labor Day of Cuomo's tenure, the latest job statistics continued to tell a different story. Read More
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has just issued a report confirming what employment statistics have been showing: upstate New York's economy has lagged behind the nation and downstate regions for years now. Read More
E.J. McMahon joined Liz Benjamin on "Capital Tonight" to discuss the upstate economy and why the state's current policies aren't turning things around. Read More
At the mid-summer mark, the private sector in upstate New York was still struggling to produce net employment gains, according to the state Labor Department's latest monthly report. Read More
The Buffalo Niagara region’s slow but steady job growth stretched into March. Read More
The rate of private sector job creation in major upstate metro areas remained very low during the 12-month period ending in March, according to the latest state labor statistics. Read More
Statewide private sector employment in New York as of December was up just 1 percent over the same month a year earlier—less than half the national rate, and the lowest such growth rate in New York since the end of the recession in 2009, according to revised employment data released last week by the state Labor Department (DOL). The total year-to-year gain of just 76,500 private jobs was less than half the average recorded in each of the four previous Decembers since Governor Andrew Cuomo took office. Read More
The poverty-fighting effectiveness of the state and federal Earned Income Tax Credit in New York is the focus of “Making Work Pay,” a new Issue Brief from the Empire Center for Public Policy. In light of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s push for a $15-an-hour statewide minimum wage, the briefing paper explains how the EITC already serves to boost low wages to levels well above the poverty line. Read More