Albany, NY – Unemployment rose to 5.9 percent in New York State last month.
The State Labor Department says that's a tenth of a percentage point higher than in January.
In the Buffalo area, February unemployment rose to an even seven percent, up from 6.8 percent in January. It marked a significant increase from February 2001 when the unemployment rate stood at 5.8 percent.
The Labor Department said there was a nearly one percent drop in private sector jobs in Western New York between February 2001 and February 2002.