Capital Region Set Employment Record in Spring

Capital Region employment last spring broke a quarterly record as the area’s state workforce climbed to a 22-year high and the services for the elderly and disabled industry nearly doubled, according to a Center for Economic Growth (CEG) analysis on New York State Department of Labor data from the Quarterly Census for Employment and Wages (QCEW).

In Q2 2025, the eight-county region’s all-industries total employment for the public and private sectors was 539,733, up 7,659 (1.4 percent) from a year earlier. That was the Capital Region’s highest quarterly employment in DOL’s QCEW data series, which goes back to 2000.

Between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025, state government employment in the region increased by 2,478 (4.8 percent) to 54,572. That was the highest state government quarterly employment in the Capital Region since Q1 2003. Albany County alone saw a 2,843 increase (6.8 percent) in state government jobs.

During the same period, the region’s services for the elderly and disabled industry increased by 3,909 (84.7 percent) to 8,525. Schenectady County saw the region’s largest year-over-year gain in services for the elderly and disabled industry employment (+1,342), followed by Saratoga (+752) and Rensselaer (+538) counties.

Other Capital Region industries with modest year-over-year-employment gains in Q2 included breweries (+155), engineering services (+177), temporary help services (+372), general freight (+123), and gas stations with convenience stores (+308).

CEG Initiatives

As a group sponsor for several apprenticeship programs in the Capital Region, CEG helps manufacturers upskill their workforce by leveraging community college partners, such as HVCC, and online education tools available via Tooling U. CEG currently supports 45 active apprentices at eight Capital Region manufacturers for the following trades: industrial maintenance technician, nanotechnology engineering technician, CNC machinist, and welder. Participating manufacturers include GlobalFoundries, NY CREATES, Plug Power, Ross Precision Machining, Meridian Manufacturing, Greno Industries, Jenks Manufacturing, and Espey Mfg, and Electronics.

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