HARRISBURG – The number of Pennsylvania’s unemployed decreased by 16,000 in November, the largest decline since 1983 and the second largest decline on record.
The unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in November, down three-tenths of a percentage point from the October rate of 8.1 percent. This was the lowest rate for Pennsylvania since June.
The November jobs report brings the total job count, which includes private and public sector jobs, to 5,751,400, the highest level since November 2008. Fueling the job growth was a gain of 7,200 private sector jobs in November, while public sector jobs decreased by 5,300.
Pennsylvania’s job total has risen in each of the past four months. In November the following sectors experienced the largest gains:
- leisure & hospitality
- education & health services
- manufacturing
Since January 2011 the state has added 109,400 private sector jobs, with 51,000 of those being added this year.