The local unemployment rate is up, but that may not be all bad news.  

New numbers out from the NYS Labor Department show the local unemployment rate was at 8.4 percent in  June, which was up from 7.7  percent at this time last year.  The rate in May of this year was 8 percent.

But state labor analyst Tammy Marino says that there is a positive aspect to this increase, because it means more people who had stopped looking for work, have decided to get back into the job hunt because they feel there are more jobs out there…

"When people begin re-entering the job market and begin looking for work again, it can boost the number of unemployed, at least until they find a new position, and this can push the overall unemployment rate higher." Marino says one downside is that there will be more competition for the jobs that are available.

Numbers released last week by the state show that more than nine thousand private sector jobs were created in this area over the last year.