Unemployment rates rise in Washington, Greene
Notice: Undefined variable: article_ad_placement3 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/single.php on line 128
The Pittsburgh region extended its winning streak on the jobs front. Washington and Greene counties weren’t as fortunate.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in each local county rose 0.2 percent in April, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.
Washington County had 7.1 percent unemployment in April, after two consecutive months of declines. The rate there had fallen from 8.1 percent in January to 7.3 in February and 6.9 in March. Despite the rise, the April figure was below the 7.3 percent rate of April 2012.
The Labor Department figures indicate that Washington had 1,100 more people in the labor force in April than March (110,100 to 109,000) and the number of unemployed rose 200 (7,800 to 7,600).
Greene’s run ended as well, its jobless rate rising from 6.5 in March to 6.7 in April. The county rate had dropped in January, February and March, totaling 0.9 percent since hitting a peak of 7.4 percent in December. Greene had 6.3 percent unemployment in April 2012.
Statistics showed the county labor force grew by 300 in April (22,400 compared with 22,100) and the number of jobless rose by 100 (1,500 to 1,400).
Conversely, the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area experienced a 0.1 percent drop in unemployment from March to April to 7.1 percent – the same rate as April 2012. It was the second straight monthly decline for the MSA, which is made up of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Labor & Industry reported that total nonfarm jobs rose by 3,200 in the Pittsburgh MSA in April, to a record 1,169,000, and that the MSA has added jobs in eight of the past 12 months.
Sparking the April increase were rises in leisure and hospitality (5,700 jobs) and construction (2,200).
Allegheny and Butler counties had the lowest unemployment in the MSA at 6.6 percent and Fayette the highest at 9.0. Statewide, Center and Montour counties had the lowest unemployment (5.8 percent) and Cameron the highest (10.9).