Jobless rates dip in Washington, Greene counties
The employment picture continues to brighten in Washington and Greene counties.
Unemployment declined one-tenth of a percentage point in each county in November. Washington’s rate fell to 5.4 percent, Greene’s to 5.8, according to seasonally adjusted statistics released Wednesday by Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
After experiencing an increase in six of the first seven months of 2015, Washington saw a dip in unemployment the past two months and three of the past four. Washington’s rate is up only one-tenth of a point from November 2014.
After hitting 6.0 percent joblessness in March and May and dropping only marginally over the next four months, Greene held steady in October and realized a dip last month. That 5.8 figure was still 1.0 percent above its November 2014 rate.
Both local counties were above the U.S. (5.0) and Pennsylvania (5.0) rates for November. Greene was above the state and national jobless levels for nine consecutive months, after being at or below both sets of figures for at least 30 straight months.
Washington County’s workforce was 107,600 in November, 100 fewer than October. But the number of employed increased by 100, to 101,800, while the number of unemployed dipped by 100, to 5,800).
Greene’s labor force (19,000) and number of employed (17,900) each rose by 200 over the month. The number of unemployed stayed at 1,100.
Washington is one of seven counties in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 5.0 percent November rate, down from 5.2 in October and 5.1 a year earlier. Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties make up the rest of the MSA.
Butler had the lowest figure (4.4) and Fayette (6.9) the highest in the MSA. Washington had the fourth-lowest rate, behind Butler, Allegheny (4.5) and Westmoreland (5.0), and ahead of Beaver (5.5), Armstrong (6.6) and Fayette.
Chester and Cumberland had the lowest rate among counties in the state, 3.5 percent. Cameron had the highest, 7.2.
Nonfarm jobs dropped by 2,500 in the Pittsburgh MSA, to 1,176,400. Over the year, they were up 1.0 percent (11,900) in the MSA and 0.7 percent statewide.
During the month, retail jobs increased by 2,000 (to 132,900), but construction lost 1,800 and leisure and hospitality fell by 4,700.