HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has released its employment situation report for September.
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was unchanged from August at 5.7 percent. Pennsylvania’s rate remained above that of the United States, which increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.0 percent in September.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force was up 7,000 from August to 6,522,000. Resident employment increased by 5,000 while the unemployment count rose 1,000.
Total nonfarm jobs declined 5,300 to 5,895,200 in September. Jobs in seven of the 11 supersectors were down from August.
The supersectors with the two largest gains this month both set record high levels – professional & business services (+6,700) and leisure & hospitality (+4,800). Education & health services and government, both down by 6,400, tied for the largest volume decline.
The August nonfarm jobs count was revised upward by 1,000 jobs, resulting in August setting the fourth record high so far in 2016.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 51,500 (+0.9 percent). Six of the 11 supersectors added jobs from last September.
The largest increase over the past twelve months was in education & health services (+21,800), while the largest decline was in mining & logging (-7,900).
Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.