Queens, the city’s second largest borough for jobs, recovered 44 percent of the jobs it lost during the 1989-1993 recession, with much of the growth coming from very small firms – those with up to 19 employees.

Most of the growth was in services, which added more than 10,000 jobs, and trade, which added 5,000 jobs, according to the November issue of Economic Notes released this week by City Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

At the end of 1996, Queens employers had 446,625 jobs and accounted for 13.6 percent of the city’s total employment. During the 1989-93 recession, the borough lost 37,445 jobs, an 8 percent decline. That was worse than Brooklyn, which lost 1.7 percent, but better than Manhattan, which lost 11 percent.

Queens recovered 16,320 jobs between 1993 and 1996. Its 44-percent recovery was greater than Brooklyn, with 42 percent, and Manhattan, which recovered only 15 percent of its loss. However, the Bronx recovered all its job losses.

Most of the growth in jobs since 1993 has been at small firms. Companies with fewer than 20 jobs increased employment by more than 5,500. Large firms added almost 7,600 jobs, recovering more than half of the 13,000 jobs they lost during the recession.

Queens’ unemployment rate has consistently been about one percent lower than the city-wide average.

For the first eight months of 1997, the borough’s unemployment averaged 9.0 percent. The city averaged 9.8 percent unemployment, nearly double the national average of 5.0 percent.

"It’s clear, after reviewing citywide data on different-sized firms and job-growth trends by borough, that throughout the city, the strongest and most consistent job creators are small firms," Hevesi said. "The city must focus on strategies and policies to help small businesses by reducing their tax burdens and utility costs, and helping to finance on-the-job training."

In addition, the report outlines the following policy initiatives: