Apr 30, 2013 2 min read

The unemployment rate for Washington and Greene counties fell in March, reflecting an overall regional trend, according to the latest state statistics.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry said Tuesday the preliminary March jobless rate in Washington County stood at 7 percent, down 0.3 percent from February’s final rate of 7.3 percent.

Greene County experienced a similar drop in unemployment, with a preliminary March rate of 6.5 percent, down from the February final rate of 6.8 percent.

In Washington County, which has a seasonally adjusted labor force of 108,900, there were 7,600 people without work in March.

In Greene County, where the seasonally adjusted workforce is 22,100, there were 1,400 people unemployed in March.

The jobless declines in the two counties reflected an overall drop in unemployment across the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which posted a 7.3 percent rate, down 0.2 percent from February’s final rate of 7.5 percent.

In addition to Washington County, the Pittsburgh MSA includes Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties and the city of Pittsburgh.

The latest regional unemployment number remains below Pennsylvania’s 7.9 percent, and the U.S. rate of 7.6 percent.

According to labor market data compiled by L&I’s Center for Workforce Information & Analysis in Harrisburg, seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA expanded by 1,400 in March to reach a new record high of 1,165,000 jobs. The center noted jobs in the MSA have increased in seven of the past 12 months with March nonfarm totals up 0.1 percent or 1,600 jobs from the previous year.

As winter weather began to wane, construction jobs rose by 2,600, while leisure and hospitality added 3,600 with businesses recalling and hiring employees for the busy spring and summer months.