Jobless rate falls, number working hits record high in state
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Pennsylvania’s employment picture brightened significantly in January, according to statistics released Friday by the state Department of Labor & Industry.
Seasonally adjusted figures showed that not only did the jobless rate drop one-tenth of a percentage point from December to 4.1 percent, but the number of employed jumped by 14,000 to 6,194,000 – a record high.
The number of jobless, conversely, dropped by 5,000 to 266,000, matching the figure for April 2007. Those are the lowest monthly totals since December 2000.
The new state rate is five-tenths of a point lower than it was the previous January, 4.6 percent. It is slightly higher than the U.S. unemployment figure of 4.0 percent, which is up one-tenth.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – estimated number of residents working or seeking work – rose by 10,000 over the month. There were an estimated 6,030,200 non-farm jobs in January, a dip of 500 from December’s record high.
Non-farm jobs did increase in six of the 11 industry supersectors. The leisure and hospitality sector hit a record high, while education and health services experienced the largest decrease, one month after establishing a record.
Over the year, jobs increased 0.8 percent statewide, which included gains in seven supersectors, led by education and health services. Nationally, jobs jumped 1.9 percent during the 12 months.