Report: Stimulus held down state's jobless rate

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Keystone Research Center issued a report Wednesday that estimated that without federal stimulus spending and other governmental efforts to contain the recession, the state unemployment rate would be 15 percent instead of the 9 percent unemployment the state is currently experiencing. The report said the jobless rate in Scranton, Erie and Williamsport would be over 17 percent instead of about 10 percent. Johnstown, with a jobless rate of 11 percent, would be near 20 percent; the Pittsburgh region, with unemployment near 9 percent, would be close to 16 percent.

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