New York State

DiNapoli: New York's Labor Force Decreased Sharply During the Pandemic and Remains Below Pre-Pandemic Peak

New York’s labor force is one of the nation’s largest, but it decreased by 1% between 2011 and 2021 while the rest of the nation increased by 5.1%, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. A rebound took place in the latter half of the last decade before dropping significantly with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. New York continued to lose workers in 2021 when the rest of the nation began to recover.

New York's Labor Force: Assessing 10-Year Trends and Pandemic Setbacks

New York’s labor force is one of the nation’s largest, but it decreased by 1% between 2011 and 2021 while the rest of the nation increased by 5.1%. DiNapoli’s report assess the pandemic's impact and long-term trends in the workforce, including by age, education level, race and ethnicity, disability, and unionization status. While New York’s labor force is large, diverse and well-educated, attention should be paid to its underlying structure to attract and retain workers.

DiNapoli: Halfmoon Resident Allegedly Stole Deceased Mother's Pension Payments

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen, the New York State Police and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles today announced Christmas Fish of Halfmoon, N.Y. has been charged with grand larceny for allegedly stealing nearly $13,000 of her deceased mother’s pension benefits.

DiNapoli: Problems Caused by Outdated System Left State's Unemployment Insurance Program Vulnerable to Fraud

The state Department of Labor’s (DOL) failure to replace its long-troubled Unemployment Insurance (UI) system and ad hoc workarounds to compensate for the old system weakened oversight and ultimately contributed to an estimated billions of dollars in improper payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

State Contract and Payment Actions in September

In September, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,465 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $2.9 billion and approved more than 2.2 million payments worth more than $14.9 billion. The office rejected 123 contracts and related transactions valued at $348 million and more than 8,700 payments valued at more than $11.8 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at Open Book New York.

DiNapoli: New York Drug Overdose Deaths Surged During Pandemic

Drug overdose fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York state, with opioid-related overdose deaths increasing by 68% to nearly 5,000 individuals from 2019 to 2021, according to an analysis released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The surge is largely due to a sharp increase in deaths from opioids related to illicit fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids.

Continuing Crisis: Drug Overdose Deaths in New York

Drug overdose fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State, with opioid-related overdose deaths increasing by 68% to nearly 5,000 individuals from 2019 to 2021. The surge is largely due to a sharp increase in deaths from opioids related to illicit fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids. This report outlines long-term trends and recent developments in the battle to save lives from being lost prematurely to substance use disorder.