Jefferson County, NY jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meJefferson County economy
4.1%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.0% the month before
46,130
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
116,130
people in Jefferson County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$64,978
median household income
Source: Census ACS
35%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Jefferson County outlook: Steady
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 2.1% from 2022 to 2025
- Population down 3.9% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 4.1%, up 0.1 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+1,137 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: admin & staffing (−401 jobs), hotels & food (−310 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Jefferson County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- Watertown grocery store closing next weekWWNY on MSN · Oct 2, 2026
Learn and get funded in Jefferson County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Jefferson County layoffs
1
Layoff notices, last 12 months
30
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizkan America, Inc.Takes effect May 11, 2026 | Orleans | 30 | Layoff | State record |
Employers hiring most in Jefferson County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- ISSI Technology Professionals2 open roles
- Aldi US1 open role
- Allied Motion Technologies1 open role
- Allient1 open role
- Amazon1 open role
- American Planning Association1 open role
- Barton & Loguidice1 open role
- Charter Communications1 open role
- Colas1 open role
- Current USA1 open role
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Jefferson County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in New York? How to file for unemployment in New York (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- Jefferson-Lewis Workforce Development Board
Jefferson, Lewis
The WorkPlace - Jefferson County
Watertown · Comprehensive · 315-782-9252
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Cities in Jefferson County
Other New York counties
Laid off or looking for work in Jefferson County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from New York’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. New York unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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