By Madina Toure
Queens has seen growth in private sector employment since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office, according to the city Economic Development Corporation.
The number of private sector jobs in the borough increased by 6.1 percent between December 2013 and June 2015, compared to a 5.3 percent increase between December 2011 and June 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
During the first 18 months of the de Blasio administration, the number of private sector jobs in the outer boroughs increased by 6.4 percent, more than double the rate of the 2.9 percent increase in Manhattan and substantially higher than the 4.7 percent increase in a comparable timeframe from 2011 to 2013 in boroughs outside of Manhattan, the EDC said.
The findings were the result of an analysis done by the EDC based on recently released job data through June 2015.
“What we’re seeing is the result of Mayor de Blasio’s focus on growing jobs in every borough,” Maria Torres-Springer, the EDC’s president, said. “More and more New Yorkers are able to access good jobs right in their own neighborhoods. And as we continue to invest in industries like technology and manufacturing, we expect to see this trend continue.”
Total jobs within all five boroughs have increased by 4.3 percent since de Blasio took office, reaching an all-time high of 4.24 million this winter. The unemployment rate in New York City is 5 percent, down 3.1 percentage points since de Blasio took office.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
