Pa. Unemployment Rate Down; Few New Jobs Added

WGAL.com

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania's unemployment rate took a significant dip in January, down three-tenths of a percentage point as the state compiled its fifth straight month of job gains.

The state Department of Labor and Industry reported that employers only increased payrolls by about 6,000 jobs, despite the substantial drop in unemployment to 8.2 percent.Labor economist Mark Price of the Harrisburg-based Keystone Research Center said the household survey that produces the unemployment rate may be catching up to stronger payroll growth that employers reported in the months leading up to January.Pennsylvania's unemployment rate after the recession began in December 2007 peaked at 9.3 percent in July.The national unemployment rate is was last listed as 8.9 percent. Pennsylvania's payrolls are at 5.65 million, about 180,000 behind the peak in 2008.Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force –- the number of people working or looking for work -- was up 18,000 in January to 6,344,000.Resident employment rose by 30,000 to 5,821,000, while the number of unemployed residents fell 12,000 to 523,000, its lowest level since June 2009.Pennsylvania’s labor force was down 3,000 from its January 2010 level.Seasonally adjusted total non-farm jobs in Pennsylvania increased 6,100 from December to 5,646,000.The largest gains were in construction and manufacturing, each up 4,100 in January.Manufacturing’s addition of 4,100 jobs was the supersector’s largest increase since June 2000.Education and health services showed the largest decline of any supersector in January, down 4,400.Mining and logging was up 400 to 29,400, the highest level since 1990.