HUDSON VALLEY- Private sector jobs increased by 1.7 percent for the 12-month period ending August 2026, according to the New York State Department of Labor.
Hudson Valley Labor Market Analyst Johny Nelson reported Friday the private sector job count in the Hudson Valley rose by 14,000 to 859,900 with gains reported in mining, logging and construction, private education and health services, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation and utilities, professional and business services.
The region’s private sector continued to trend upward. August’s employment count was the highest August on record.
Nelson said job growth was broad-based with eight of nine sectors posting year-over-year job gains. Three sectors posted year-over-year gains of at least 2.0 percent. Private education and health services remained the region’s leading jobs generator. Year-over-year in August 2026, the sector climbed 2.8 percent, to reach 239,800 – a record high for the month dating back to two thousand.
Within the region, Sullivan County’s private employment sector grew the fastest year-over-year, up 5.1 percent. The second fastest growth was recorded in Rockland County (+3.5 percent), followed by Westchester County (+2.4 percent), Putnam County (+1.3)
The Orange- Dutchess area was the only one that declined over the period.