This is not going to be the best of Labor Days for Itzy Ramirez.
The 28-year-old graphic designer from Brooklyn has been unemployed — more or less — for more than three years, since graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts.
While the unemployment rates in New York state and the Big Apple have come down since the Great Recession of 2007-2009, many younger workers are having a tough time getting their careers going.
That is the case for Ramirez.
“I had the misfortune to graduate college in the middle of a recession, back in 2009,” said the Sunset Park resident, who has been forced to take a succession of odd jobs since then to make ends meet.
Ramirez has worked as a cat sitter and dog walker, and she is now consulting and freelancing as a Web designer.
She’s not alone.
In a sharp reversal from a year ago, a jaw-dropping 3 out of 4 New Yorkers say it is difficult to find work in their communities — a 25 percent jump from a year ago, according to a recent survey.
The alarming result, which appears in a Capital One Bank Market Pulse Survey of consumers and businesses throughout the Empire State, paints a still-bleak labor picture.
It’s depressing enough that many New Yorkers have given up looking for work. For all age groups 55 and younger, the labor participation rate has fallen in recent years, state statistics show. Only those 55 and older showed a higher labor participation rate.
That may be why younger workers are having a tough time finding jobs.
“If you own stocks, you’d feel pretty good because the market has gone up,” said Barry Sloane, chief executive of Newtek, a non-bank lender in Manhattan. “And if you’ve refinanced your home and were able to get a lower rate and have your house appraised higher, you’d feel pretty good.
“But if you are a job seeker, you have a problem, because there is not a lot of hiring going on in most categories, with the exception of part-time hiring.”
Sloane says most business owners are reluctant to hire full-time staff and are instead recruiting part-time workers.
The reason, he says, is ObamaCare, with its employer mandate in particular discouraging small businesses from hiring.
And recent grads are in an especially tough spot.
Over the next six months, only 30 percent of businesses in the state plan to hire college grads, according to the survey.
Despite the bleak outlook, Ramirez remains upbeat.
“With the interest rising on my student loan, I still hope for secure employment so I can get out of debt,” she said with youthful optimism.
Where the jobs (and money) are
According to the New York State Department of Labor, these are among the fastest-growing professions in New York City.
Pct. Growth, 2008-2018
1. Skin care specialists 41.5
2. Fitness trainers 39.6
3. Animal trainers 24
4. Agents/Business managers 21.6
5. Mental health counselors 21.5
If you’re looking for a kick in salary, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says these are among the best-paying sectors in the city.
Avg. annual pay
1. Legal $124,840
2. Healthcare $88,060
3. Media $72,120
4. Construction $62,260
5. Sales $52,810