Washington, Greene counties see unemployment declines in Jan.
The jobless rate in Washington and Greene counties declined in January, according to the latest data from the state Department of Labor & Industry.
The department’s Center for Workforce Information & Analysis in Harrisburg said Wednesday the preliminary January seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Washington County was 5.4 percent, down 0.7 percent from December’s final rate of 6.1 percent. The latest rate is equal to the 5.4 percent rate recorded in January 2016.
Greene County’s preliminary rate of 6.4 percent was 0.4 percent lower than December’s final rate of 6.8 percent and 0.3 percent below the 6.7 percent rate of January of a year ago.
In Washington County, which has a seasonally adjusted labor force of 105,900, there were 5,700 people without work in January.
In Greene County, which has a labor force of 17,200, there were 1,100 jobless in January.
The local declines in unemployment echoed a regional trend.
The January seasonally adjusted jobless rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area decreased 0.4 percent to 5.3 percent.
In addition to Washington County, the Pittsburgh MSA includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties and the city of Pittsburgh.
In January, seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA increased by 5,900 to 1,171,700. Over the year, jobs were up 0.8 percent, or 9,300 jobs in the MSA, while statewide jobs grew 1.2 percent.
Trade, transportation and utilities had the largest decline in January, down 9,600. The seasonal decline was expected due to local retailers and transportation and warehousing facilities releasing staff hired for the holiday shopping season. As cold weather continued to set in, construction jobs decreased again this month, falling 3,600 positions.