Comptroller Says NY Reached Record Employment Last Year

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's comptroller says statewide employment reached a record nine million jobs last year, with 538,000 added since the recession.

The report Monday shows 143,000 jobs added in 2014, capping four years of steady gains.

But growth was uneven statewide, with New York City gaining three-fourths of the total, while four upstate regions lost jobs, led by the Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says bright spots include "fast-rising wages in the finance and information sectors" and growth in western New York.

At the same time, he says more New Yorkers are relying on part-time work or have dropped out of the labor force.

Wages rose 14 percent statewide from 2009 to 2014, ahead of the 10.3 percent U.S. inflation rate for the period.