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Washington and Greene jobless numbers stay low

2 min read

Local jobless rates held fairly steady from December to January, remaining at 6.0 percent in Washington County and dropping from 5.3 to 5.2 percent in Greene.

The seasonally adjusted figures were reported Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

Both local counties continued to fare well against state and national figures. Washington has been below the U.S. jobless rate for 11 of the past 12 months, the exception being this past November when both numbers were 7.0 percent. Washington has been under the Pennsylvania figure for at least 16 consecutive months.

Greene’s rate, impressively, has been under both sets of numbers for at least the past 16 months.

The unemployment figure in each county has plummeted 2.1 percent from January 2013, Washington from 8.1 percent, Greene from 7.3.

Washington is one of seven counties comprising the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which likewise had a January rate of 6.0 percent, down 0.3 percent from December. That was the fourth consecutive monthly decline for the MSA, which also includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland.

Butler County had the lowest jobless rate in the MSA (5.2 percent), while Fayette (7.1) had the highest. Fayette’s rate did decline 3.1 percent from 10.2 in January 2013.

The Pittsburgh and Altoona MSAs tied for the fifth-lowest rate among Pennsylvania’s 14 MSAs.

Labor & Industry’s preliminary numbers indicate some people from Washington and Greene have ceased seeking jobs.

Washington’s labor force was 107,600 in January, down 1,200 from December. The number working likewise decreased by 1,000 (102,200 to 101,200) and the number unemployed fell by 200 (6,600 to 6,400.)

Greene’s labor force dropped by 1,000 (22,400 to 21,400) over those months, with employment declining by 900 (21,200 to 20,300) and number of jobless down 100 (1,200 to 1,100).

Unemployment figures in the U.S., Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh MSA all have dropped significantly since January 2013: the U.S. by 1.3 percent (from 7.9); the state by 1.8 (from 8.2); and the MSA by 1.5 percent (from 7.5).

The MSA lost 500 nonfarm jobs in January – down to 1,155,400 – and 1,800 over the year. Jobs statewide, however, increased by 0.5 percent.

Retail trade (6,300) and transportation and warehousing (2,300) experienced significant decreases due largely to the release of seasonal employees.

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