WASHINGTON: Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed flat at 5.7 percent in September, as the job count fell slightly from the previous month, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry’s monthly data released Friday.
The number of Pennsylvanians counted as unemployed rose by about 1,000 during the month, while the number of people employed rose by 5,000 — not enough to budge the jobless rate in a workforce of 6.5 million people. The government counts people as unemployed when they take specific actions to look for a job. The state rate is higher than September’s national jobless rate of 5 percent.
Meanwhile, employers across the state cut about 5,300 positions, as goods-producing industries — including manufacturing, mining and construction — all showed losses. The service sector, normally a bright spot for hiring, stayed flat in September. Over the last 12 months, employers across the state have added 51,500 jobs for 1 percent job growth. The report showed that Pennsylvania’s labor force grew by 7,000 people after losing 25,000 from June to August. Economists see low workforce participation as a sign of weakness in the labor market because it could indicate that people have succumbed to long-term unemployment and have given up looking for jobs.
From January to May this year, more than 100,000 Pennsylvanians joined the labor force to get jobs or look for work. As the workforce grew, the state unemployment rate increased almost a full percentage point. The latest data are tentative and will be revised for next month’s report. The state releases local data on the Pittsburgh region on Nov. 1.
