Sandy K.O.'s NY Jobs Numbers

State labor officials say job losses from Superstorm Sandy cut into gains made this year in New York's employment numbers. WAMC's Dave Lucas has more.

Statewide Labor Market Analyst Kevin Jack says 29,100 private sector jobs were lost in November because of the storm's impact on the New York City area, cutting total job gains for the year to 83,500.

Telephone surveys showed the state's unemployment rate in November dropping to 8.3 percent from from 8.7 in October, with the rate in New York city dropping to 8.8 percent from 9.2. Jack notes that the survey was conducted within a week of the storm and may not reflect the full effect Sandy had on employment. Officials expect any employment decline associated with Sandy to be reversed rather quickly.