Washington, Greene jobless rates increase
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Unemployment rates rose as temperatures dropped in Washington and Greene counties in December.
Washington’s figure jumped to 4.4 percent, up two-tenths of a point from November, while Greene’s rate increased one-tenth of a point to 5.0 percent, according to seasonally adjusted statistics released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. Washington County’s jobless figure has risen four of the past five months.
Unemployment in each county, however, was down five-tenths of a point from December 2017 – from 4.9 in Washington and 5.5 in Greene.
Washington is one of seven counties comprising the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, where the rate remained at 4.2.
Pennsylvania’s rate stayed at 4.2 percent last month, while the U.S. figure jumped two-tenths to 3.9.
Washington’s labor force, according to Labor & Industry, was 107,400 in December, 400 more than the previous month. Employment, however, increased by 200 (to 102,700) and the number of residents listed as unemployed jumped by 200 to 4,700.
Greene’s labor force (16,600) bumped up by 100, while the number of employed (15,700) and unemployed (800) were listed as the same as in November.
Washington and Beaver tied for the third-lowest countywide rate in the MSA, which also consists of Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties, plus Pittsburgh. Butler County had the lowest unemployment figure in the MSA, 4.0 percent, followed by Allegheny (4.2); Washington and Beaver; Westmoreland (4.5), Armstrong (5.1) and Fayette (5.9).
Fayette’s rate bumped up two-tenths from November, but was well below its December 2017 figure of 6.6 percent. Westmoreland’s figure rose one-tenth following three consecutive months at 4.4.
The Pittsburgh and Reading MSAs tied for the 10th-lowest rate among Pennsylvania’s 18 MSAs. Gettysburg had the lowest MSA rate (3.2) and East Stroudsburg (5.4) the highest.
Among the state’s 67 counties, rates ranged from Adams (3.2) to Forest (6.2).
Nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA increased by 900 over the month to 1,195,600 – a record for the fourth consecutive month. Over the year, jobs were up by 0.7 percent (8,200) in he MSA and 1.2 percent statewide.
Thanks to holiday shopping and shipping, the trade, transportation and utilities supersector had the largest jobs increase from November (1,400). Construction, which is seasonal, experienced the largest decline (3,600 jobs).