Unemployment rates are on the rise again in the Hudson Valley, with 22,000 jobs having been lost in the region in February alone.

According to the state Department of Labor, unemployment rates in Westchester and Orange counties inched up by one tenth of a percent compared to January. Rockland County's rate remained steady, while Putnam's went down slightly.

The hardest hit segment of the local labor market continues to be construction.

On the national level, however, the unemployment picture is improving. For the fourth straight week, the number of new jobless claims went down. National rate currently stands at 9.7 percent.