HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in March, down from 8.0 percent in February 2011.
March’s rate was down a full percentage point from March 2010, the largest over-the-year decline since August 1987.
Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was up 3,000 in March to 6,364,000. Resident employment rose by 20,000 to 5,869,000 while the number of unemployed residents fell 17,000 to 495,000, its lowest level since March 2009. Pennsylvania’s labor force was up 1,000 from its March 2010 level.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were down 1,700 in March to 5,670,100. Seven of the eleven supersectors added jobs in March, but declines in the rest outweighed the gains. The largest increase was in Trade, Transportation & Utilities, which was up 3,000 to 1,087,900, while the largest decrease was in Professional & Business Services, down 4,200. Mining & Logging increased for the twenty-second consecutive month, up 700 in March to 30,700, the highest level since 1990.
Pennsylvania’s job count was up 76,500 (1.4 percent) from March 2010; nationally, nonfarm jobs were up 1.3 million (1.0 percent) from last March.
