HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in September, up from 8.2 percent in August. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was below the U.S. rate of 9.1 percent, and has been below the U.S. rate for 41 consecutive months, and at or below the U.S. rate for 59 consecutive months.
The state’s September unemployment rate was down 0.2 percentage points from September 2010.
Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was up 26,000 in September to 6,334,000. Resident employment rose by 19,000 to 5,811,000 while the number of unemployed residents rose 7,000 to 523,000. Pennsylvania’s labor force was 13,000 above its September 2010 level.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were down 15,800 in September to 5,668,900. Goods-producing and service-providing industries showed drops from August, although the majority of the decline was within service-providing industries. Mining & logging jobs were unchanged from August, remaining at a record high of 32,400. Manufacturing declined for the first time in 2011, down 1,500 to 574,000. The largest decline for the month was a drop of 8,300 government jobs. The largest increase was in Education & Health Services, up 5,100 due mostly to Health Care & Social Assistance.
Pennsylvania’s job count was up 48,300 (0.9 percent) from September 2010; nationally, nonfarm jobs were up 1.5 million (1.1 percent) from last September.
Editor’s Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania’s employment statistics follows.
Current Labor Force Statistics
Seasonally Adjusted
(in thousands)
| September 2011 |
August 2011 |
September 2010 |
Change from August 2011 |
Change from September 2010 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| volume | percent | volume | percent | |||||
| PA | ||||||||
| Civilian Labor Force | 6,334 | 6,308 | 6,321 | 26 | 0.4% | 13 | 0.2% | |
| Employment | 5,811 | 5,792 | 5,782 | 19 | 0.3% | 29 | 0.5% | |
| Unemployment | 523 | 516 | 539 | 7 | 1.4% | -16 | -3.0% | |
| Rate | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 0.1 | —- | -0.2 | —- | |
| US | ||||||||
| Civilian Labor Force | 154,017 | 153,594 | 154,124 | 423 | 0.3% | -107 | -0.1% | |
| Employment | 140,025 | 139,627 | 139,378 | 398 | 0.3% | 647 | 0.5% | |
| Unemployment | 13,992 | 13,967 | 14,746 | 25 | 0.2% | -754 | -5.1% | |
| Rate | 9.1 | 9.1 | 9.6 | 0.0 | —- | -0.5 | —- | |
Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment
Seasonally Adjusted
(in thousands)
| September 2011 |
August 2011 |
September 2010 |
Change from August 2011 |
Change from September 2010 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| volume | percent | volume | percent | |||||
| Total Nonfarm Jobs | 5,668.9 | 5,684.7 | 5,620.6 | -15.8 | -0.3% | 48.3 | 0.9% | |
| Goods Producing Industries | 826.7 | 826.8 | 803.4 | -0.1 | 0.0% | 23.3 | 2.9% | |
| Mining & Logging | 32.4 | 32.4 | 28.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 4.4 | 15.7% | |
| Construction | 220.3 | 218.9 | 214.3 | 1.4 | 0.6% | 6.0 | 2.8% | |
| Manufacturing | 574.0 | 575.5 | 561.1 | -1.5 | -0.3% | 12.9 | 2.3% | |
| Service Providing Industries | 4,842.2 | 4,857.9 | 4,817.2 | -15.7 | -0.3% | 25.0 | 0.5% | |
| Trade, Transportation & Utilities | 1,091.9 | 1,097.8 | 1,082.0 | -5.9 | -0.5% | 9.9 | 0.9% | |
| Information | 95.3 | 92.9 | 93.2 | 2.4 | 2.6% | 2.1 | 2.3% | |
| Financial Activities | 311.1 | 312.5 | 309.8 | -1.4 | -0.4% | 1.3 | 0.4% | |
| Professional & Business Services | 695.2 | 696.9 | 690.9 | -1.7 | -0.2% | 4.3 | 0.6% | |
| Education & Health Services | 1,161.6 | 1,156.5 | 1,139.0 | 5.1 | 0.4% | 22.6 | 2.0% | |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 504.9 | 510.3 | 501.8 | -5.4 | -1.1% | 3.1 | 0.6% | |
| Other Services | 253.4 | 253.9 | 250.5 | -0.5 | -0.2% | 2.9 | 1.2% | |
| Government | 728.8 | 737.1 | 750.0 | -8.3 | -1.1% | -21.2 | -2.8% | |