Feb 9, 2021 2 min read

After four consecutive monthly declines, Washington County and Greene County each experienced a rise in its unemployment rate for December.

Washington County’s jobless figure rose by one-tenth of a percentage point from November to 7.1%, while Greene’s rate bumped up two-tenths to 7.3%, according to seasonally adjusted statistics released last week by the state Department of Labor & Industry.

Those numbers are up from pre-pandemic December 2019, when Washington was at 5.0% joblessness and Greene at 6.0%.

Rates in each of the seven counties comprising the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area had dropped from October to November. That changed in December, however, when Armstrong was the only member of the group to post a decline, to 7.2% (a marginal one-tenth lower than in November). Figures increased in Washington, Westmoreland, Beaver and Butler, and remained the same in Allegheny and Fayette.

Greene County is not in the MSA.

Fayette’s December rate (8.6%) was still the highest in the Pittsburgh MSA, and while Westmoreland’s increased two-tenths to 6.7%, that figure tied for second lowest. The December MSA rate was 6.8%, up 0.1% over the month.

Despite a 0.3% increase, Butler still had the lowest unemployment rate at 5.9%. Allegheny and Westmoreland were at 6.7%, followed by Washington, Armstrong (7.2%), Beaver (7.6%) and Fayette.

Unemployment statewide was 6.7% in December, down 0.1% over the month. The national figure stayed at 6.7%.

Washington’s labor force, according to Labor & Industry, was 103,300 in December, an increase of 200 from the previous month. Employment (95,900) remained the same, while the number of county residents listed as unemployed (7,300) jumped by 100.

Greene County’s labor force (16,200), employment (15,100) and unemployment (1,200) numbers held steady.

Seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs across the MSA declined by 0.1% over the month – a loss of 1,600 positions to 1,110,200. Year over year, MSA jobs were down 7.1% (85,200) while jobs statewide declined 7.8%.

A number of the 11 supersectors in the Pittsburgh MSA experienced positive and negative jobs swings that were holiday season-related. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest gain (6,300), during a peak time for shopping and shipping. Leisure and hospitality, conversely, posted the biggest decline (7,600 jobs).