I think we're in reasonably good shape. I'm encouraged by the fact that New York is not as exceptional as it has in the past. We're usually the first to go down and the last to come up, and we're not leading downward. Rae D. Rosen , senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The latest numbers I show is most areas are setting records in employment.
Job growth is particularly strong in construction and services.
Tight labor market has contributed nicely to higher wages. Mike DiTullo , president of Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress. Right now the local economy is holding on to its momentum. The fourth quarter of the year 2000 was our 24th consecutive quarter of economic growth and job gains in the Hudson Valley. There are a number of buffers and I think we'll create a comfort zone in the Hudson Valley even if the national economy continues its slow down.