NY jobless rate dropped to 7.9 percent in Nov.

Officials: NY's unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 pct. in Nov. even as jobs total slipped

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Officials say New York's unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent in November from 8.3 percent a month earlier.

The state labor department says about 40,000 fewer people were listed as unemployed than in October even as the number of people with jobs dropped by 42,000. The department had said earlier that employment took a hit from Superstorm Sandy.

It reports there were about 88,000 more private sector jobs in the state compared to a year earlier.

The unemployment rate stood at 7.7 percent upstate and 8.1 percent in the New York City metro area.

The numbers were released Thursday.