The Southern Tier economy is continuing to lose jobs while most of New York state's labor markets have been adding workers.

The latest report from the Department of Labor shows the Binghamton area recorded a loss of 400 private sector jobs since May of last year. The Elmira labor market lost 900 jobs over the 12-month period.

As the number of private sector jobs in Binghamton and Elmira fell over the past year, most of the state was experiencing job gains.

The new report indicates the number of private sector jobs increased by more than 32,000 since May 2016.

Gains were reported across the state in several sector, including educational and health services. Over the last twelve months, New York state lost nearly 16,000 manufacturing jobs.

Christian Harris, a labor market analyst for the Department of Labor in the Town of Union, suggested the bleak picture for the Binghamton area may be tied to the sample of employers used. He said there now are about 2,600 job openings in Broome and Tioga counties. He said those opportunities are for job across a wide range of salary grades.

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