December 18, 2015

PA Unemployment Rate Declines To 5 Percent In November

The Department of Labor & Industry Friday report Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.0 percent in November. Pennsylvania's rate matched that of the United States, which was unchanged from October.
The Commonwealth's rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point from the November 2014 rate of 5.1 percent, while the national rate declined by eight-tenths of a percentage point over the year.
Pennsylvania's civilian labor force was up 14,000 in November to 6,429,000. Resident employment rose by 23,000 while the unemployment count declined by 9,000.
Total nonfarm jobs were down 3,400 in November to 5,856,000. Despite the decline, seven of the 11 supersectors added jobs from October. The largest drop was a decline of 5,000 in leisure & hospitality, which fell from a record high in October. The largest gain was in education & health services, which rose 2,800 to a record high.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 39,800 (+0.7%). All seven of the private service-providing supersectors added jobs from November 2014, while all three goods-producing supersectors and government declined.
The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.