Jobless rate up slightly in Washington, holds steady in Greene
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The October unemployment rate inched upward in Washington County and remained the same in Greene.
For the third consecutive month, Washington’s figure nudged upward one-tenth of a percentage point, to 4.3 percent from 4.2 in September. Greene’s rate stayed at 5.0 percent, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released Wednesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry.
Unemployment declined in both counties over the year – by 0.6 percent in Washington (from 4.9) and 0.5 in Greene (from 5.5).
Washington County’s rate is two-tenths of a point above the statewide figure of 4.1 percent. Washington is one of seven counties comprising the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, where the rate remained at 4.2. The national jobless rate stayed at 3.7.
Washington County’s labor force, according to Labor & Industry, was 107,100 in October, 1,000 more than in September. Employment increased by 190 – to 102,500 – while the number listed as unemployed rose by 100 to 4,600.
Greene had a labor force of 16,500, an increase of 200 over the month. There were 15,700 listed as employed, 200 more than in September, while the number of unemployed remained at 800.
Washington had the third-lowest countywide rate in the MSA, which also consists of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties, plus Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh MSA had the ninth-lowest rate among Pennsylvania’s 18 MSAs. The Gettysburg, Lancaster and State College MSAs had the lowest rate (3.4); Johnstown had the highest (5.3).
Butler County had the lowest unemployment figure in the MSA, 3.9 percent, followed by Allegheny (4.1), Washington, Westmoreland (4.4), Beaver (4.5), Armstrong (4.9) and Fayette (5.8). Fayette’s rate rose one-tenth of a point, but was well below its October 2017 figure of 6.5 percent.
Among the state’s 67 counties, Chester and Cumberland tied for the lowest jobless rate (3.3). Forest (6.4) had the highest.
Nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA increased by 2,900 over the month to 1,194,000 – establishing a record for the second consecutive month. Over the year, jobs were up by 1.2 percent in the MSA, a bump of 13,700, and had risen by 1.5 percent statewide.
For the second month in a row, education-related supersectors experienced the largest job increases month-over-month. Education and health services had the largest gain – 3,400 jobs – to hit a record high of 258,600.