State jobless rate rises to 7.3%
Unlike the snow, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate did not fall in January.
The Keystone State’s jobless figure climbed two-tenths of a percentage point from December to 7.3%, the Department of Labor & Industry reported on Friday. That was the second monthly bump in a row, following four consecutive decreases.
Pennsylvania’s January 2020 rate, by contrast, was 4.8% – 2.5 points lower, but pre-pandemic.
The commonwealth’s civilian labor force – estimated number of residents working or looking for work – dropped by 15,000 from December to January. Non-farm jobs increased by 35,700 over the month, to 5,638,100 – virtually canceling out December’s loss of 35,400.
Jobs did increase in four of the 11 industry supersectors, with the largest gain posted in professional & business services (12,100).
The national rate in January fell four-tenths of a percentage point over the month to 6.3%. That figure is 2.8 points higher than it was a year earlier.
L&I’s figures are seasonally adjusted, providing the most valid month-to-month comparison.