Mar 15, 2016 3 min read

Washington County’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months in January, while Greene’s increased a whopping half of a percentage point, pointing to losses in the mineral extraction industries over the past year.

Washington’s preliminary jobless figure was 5.3 percent, up one-tenth from December, and Greene’s was 6.4 percent, up from 5.9 the previous month, according to seasonally adjusted statistics released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

After declines the previous three months, and four of the previous five, Washington experienced a slight bump upward. Its 5.3 percent rate also was one-tenth higher than the previous January.

Greene’s rate has been elevated since dropping to 3.9 percent in November 2014, but had been steady since peaking at 6.0 percent in May 2015. The January figure was 1.6 percentage points higher than a year earlier (4.8).

The Greene County labor force dropped by 700 from December (19,000 to 18,300) and the number of employed fell by 800 (17,900 to 17,100). The number listed as unemployed, by contrast, rose by 100 (1,100 to 1,200).

According to supplemental labor data provided by CWIA for Greene County, there has been a loss of 1,000 positions in the mining, logging and construction industries between January 2015 and Jaunuary 2016.

Washington County lost 1,000 from its workforce over the month, from 108,300 to 107,300, and 900 fewer were employed in January (101,700) compared with December (102,600). The unemployed figure remained at 5,700.

Both local counties were above the most recent figures for Pennsylvania (4.6 in January) and U.S. (4.9 in February). Greene has been above the state and national jobless levels for 11 consecutive months, after being at or below both sets of figures for the previous 30.

Washington is one of seven counties in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which maintained a 4.8 percent rate in January, down three-tenths over the year. Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties make up the rest of the MSA.

Butler had the lowest figure (4.3) and Armstrong (6.8) the highest in the MSA. Washington had the fourth-lowest rate, behind Butler, Allegheny (4.5) and Westmoreland (4.8), and ahead of Beaver (5.4), Fayette (6.7) and Armstrong.

Fayette’s figure was up one-tenth from December, but down one-tenth from the previous January.

Adams and Chester (3.4) shared the lowest rate among counties in the state, Potter had the highest, 7.4.

Nonfarm jobs increased by 2,700 in the Pittsburgh MSA, to 1,166,700. Over the year, they were up 0.4 percent (4,300) in the MSA and 0.6 percent statewide.

Significant, but expected, seasonal job declines were recorded over the month in construction (4,900), retail trade (6,300) and transportation, warehousing and utilities (2,500).