NORWICH – In what analysts are saying could be a six-year low for the New York state unemployment rate in 2006, Department of Labor data shows that during the second half of the year, Chenango County kept pace with comparable figures to the statewide average.

“We’ve stayed pretty steady,” said Gary Waffle, the manager of the Chenango, Delaware, and Otsego Workforce office in Norwich.

Overall, without available data for December, the annual – yet to be seasonally adjusted – unemployment rate for the state so far has been 4.6 percent, with Chenango County at around 5.5 percent. However, from July on, Chenango County has averaged around a 4.6 percent rate, recouping from a January to June rough patch to almost match up with the state’s second-half average of 4.3 percent.

Waffle said that lower numbers of layoffs and retail business growth has resulted in the decreasing unemployment numbers in the county.

If anything, Waffle said more higher-paying jobs are becoming available in the manufacturing and technical sectors, with not enough labor force locally to fill the positions.

“Job openings are becoming available,” Waffle said. “Employers are having a hard time finding qualified candidates.”