Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point in November to 7.3 percent. November marked the third consecutive monthly decline in the rate and the eighth decline in the past twelve months. The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania was down by eight-tenths of a percentage point from November 2012.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was down 14,000 in November to 6,458,000. Resident employment was up 1,000 to 5,988,000, and the number of unemployed residents fell 15,000 to 470,000. Pennsylvania’s labor force was down by 73,000 since last November due to declines in both employment (-17,000) and unemployment (-56,000).
Total non-farm jobs were up by 9,700 in November to 5,771,500. Gains were seen in both the private and public sectors. Private service-providing jobs reached a record high of 4,232,600. The largest gain in November was an increase of 8,200 jobs in trade, transportation & utilities, due to gains in retail trade (+6,100) and transportation, warehousing & utilities (+2,600). Professional & business services, up 1,600 in November to 748,600, set a record high for the third time in the last four months.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania have risen by 33,300 (+0.6%). The growth was primarily within private service-providing industries, with professional & business services (+15,400), education & health services (+11,800) and leisure & hospitality (+10,400) showing the strongest gains.
Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.
SOURCE: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry