{"schema_version": 1, "id": "albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 69, "label": "Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA", "slug": "albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:24:46.938579+00:00", "headline": "Albany holds near full employment as state and nation cool.", "headline_summary": "Albany and Rensselaer counties posted roughly 3.9% unemployment versus New York State's 4.3% and the national 4.1%, with health services driving most of the metro's modest 0.8% job growth.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Albany/Rensselaer County unemployment", "value": "3.9%", "context": "vs 4.3% NY State, 4.1% national (Aug/Sep 2026)"}, {"label": "Metro nonfarm job growth", "value": "+4,000 (0.8%)", "context": "YoY through Dec 2025, led by health services"}, {"label": "NYC private-sector employment", "value": "-16,300 YTD", "context": "Contrasts with Albany's modest regional gains"}, {"label": "National real wage growth", "value": "1.5% vs 3.5% CPI", "context": "Q3 2026 median weekly earnings vs inflation"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Albany's labor market looks tighter than the state and nation.", "body": "County-level unemployment near 3.9% sits below New York's 4.3% and the national 4.1%, suggesting the capital region's public-sector and institutional base is cushioning it from the private-sector contraction weighing on New York City and parts of upstate."}, {"headline": "Health services remains the metro's clearest growth engine.", "body": "Private education and health services added 3,400 jobs over the most recent year-over-year period, the largest gain of any sector, while advertised Registered Nurse pay rose to $109,279 locally \u2014 both consistent with sustained demand in a sector less exposed to national white-collar softening."}, {"headline": "Construction and finance softness bears watching.", "body": "Construction lost 1,300 jobs and financial activities 600 over the same period \u2014 modest in absolute terms but notable given national finance-sector contraction (-7,000) and should be tracked for whether it deepens or stabilizes."}, {"headline": "Wage-vs-inflation gap looks narrower locally than nationally.", "body": "National median weekly earnings rose 1.5% against 3.5% CPI growth, but several Albany advertised-pay categories \u2014 Registered Nurse, Account Manager, Elementary/Secondary Teacher \u2014 posted moderate-to-significant increases, suggesting pockets of real wage gains even as the national trend shows erosion."}], "local_conditions": "Albany-Schenectady-Troy's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate held near 3.9% across Albany and Rensselaer counties in August, well below the national rate of 4.1% and the statewide 4.3%, consistent with a tighter regional labor market tied to the metro's public-sector and institutional health care base. Nonfarm payrolls grew 4,000 year-over-year through December 2025 (0.8%), concentrated in private education and health services (+3,400), while construction (-1,300) and financial activities (-600) contracted \u2014 a pattern that diverges from the finance and information-sector pullback now weighing on New York City's job count.", "implications": "Metro-level wage data show advertised pay rising for Registered Nurses ($109,279, up significantly), Account Managers, and Warehouse Managers even as Accountant and Software Engineer pay hold flat \u2014 a pattern consistent with continued strength in health services and logistics-adjacent demand, with broad-based acceleration not yet evident. Commerce leaders weighing expansion or investment locally should treat Albany's sub-4% unemployment and modest payroll growth as a signal of a stable, low-slack labor market that is holding steady rather than heating up sharply, while government economists may find the construction and financial-activities contraction worth tracking against statewide softness. Current conditions suggest monitoring sector-level wage divergence, particularly health care and logistics pay growth against flat professional-services pay, as an early read on where metro economic momentum is concentrating.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "October 2026 BLS data for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA has not yet been released; watch for the next county and metro unemployment update to confirm whether the sub-4% rate held through fall."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "New York's statewide minimum wage freeze, triggered by a seven-month employment decline, could affect the metro's lower-wage advertised roles (Retail Sales Associate, Customer Service Representative) differently than in metros without the off-ramp provision."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Construction and financial-activities job losses, if they continue beyond the most recent year-over-year window, would mark a shift from a sector-specific dip to a broader pattern worth flagging for regional investment and permitting decisions."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "National WARN filings (3,860 notices, 340,316 workers through late October) remain concentrated outside New York State; monitor regional trackers for any uptick specific to the capital region as a leading signal of local labor-market cooling."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32225.0, "metro_p50": 33644.0, "metro_p75": 36400.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32039.0, "metro_p50": 36400.0, "metro_p75": 38688.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35048.0, "metro_p50": 41069.2, "metro_p75": 43680.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55120.0, "metro_p50": 75000.0, "metro_p75": 86164.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32641.0, "metro_p50": 39174.0, "metro_p75": 47840.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37440.0, "metro_p50": 43680.0, "metro_p75": 46800.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55917.0, "metro_p50": 68506.0, "metro_p75": 73834.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34508.5, "metro_p50": 39520.0, "metro_p75": 41665.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35360.0, "metro_p50": 39704.0, "metro_p75": 43680.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33448.25, "metro_p50": 36400.0, "metro_p75": 39031.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36469.0, "metro_p50": 41704.0, "metro_p75": 44294.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38678.0, "metro_p50": 46500.0, "metro_p75": 50356.25, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62500.0, "metro_p50": 71947.0, "metro_p75": 80080.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 88695.0, "metro_p50": 109279.0, "metro_p75": 119953.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 121196.5, "metro_p50": 154958.0, "metro_p75": 172999.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 99179.0, "metro_p50": 142072.4, "metro_p75": 159248.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59422.0, "metro_p50": 68541.8, "metro_p75": 75795.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 71895.0, "metro_p50": 92250.0, "metro_p75": 102336.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55419.25, "metro_p50": 73358.2, "metro_p75": 83594.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 43369.0, "metro_p50": 58875.0, "metro_p75": 70677.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 70618.0, "metro_p50": 88240.0, "metro_p75": 100600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 41600.0, "metro_p50": 59092.0, "metro_p75": 63639.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 64458.5, "metro_p50": 98581.0, "metro_p75": 120450.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 44912.75, "metro_p50": 72171.6, "metro_p75": 75063.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 79741.5, "metro_p50": 92931.4, "metro_p75": 105000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 77142.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 114279.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 41163.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 60060.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 133290.5, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 98688.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 98261.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 65000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 37510.5, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 70308.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:17:32.578785+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/albany-schenectady-troy-ny-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}