May 23, 2020 3 min read

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate for April, not surprisingly, skyrocketed to a record 15.1%.

That broke the previous high watermark of 12.7%, established in January and February 1983.

The April figure is a 9.3% increase from the March rate of 5.8%, said Jerry Oleksiak, director of the state Department of Labor & Industry, during a video news conference Friday morning. The significant bump is more fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the globe.

More than 1 million non-farm jobs were lost in only a month – from 6,038,300 to 5,014,200 – according to L&I. That is a 16.9% plummet.

A mere 14 months ago – March 2019 – Pennsylvania hit a record low in joblessness, 3.9%. The Keystone State has been tracking monthly rates since 1976.

Last month’s rate, and increase from March, are similar to the national figures for April. The U.S. had 14.7% unemployment in April, a 10.3% jump, proof the coronavirus is an equal-opportunity economic destroyer.

April’s inflated U.S. and Pennsylvania rates also are comparable with those from the last significant economic downturn, the Great Recession, which ended in mid-2009. The Keystone State’s annual rate for 2009 was 8%, and 8.5% for 2010. Nationwide, 9.5% of the workforce was idle in June 2009, peaking four months later at 10%.

Friday’s event was short – 17 minutes – and decidedly unsweet. Oleksiak hosted the event with Scott Meckley, manager of the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.

The secretary had difficulty answering several media inquiries, mainly because the unpredictability of the virus dissuades answers. Asked what can be done to lower jobless numbers, Oleksiak said: “I think the state has been doing something about that. Forty-nine (of 67) counties have moved from red (stay at home) to yellow (less restrictive). Construction began May 1 throughout the state.

“The first steps we needed to do were to make sure people were safe, then partially open the counties. We hope the numbers go down, but it’s hard to know what will happen.”

It’s also difficult to determine when the Pennsylvania economy and thousands of businesses are ready to enter a full-fledged rebounding mode. But Oleksiak said L&I is preparing for that time by working with agencies and other departments to provide guidance.

“We’re all looking at what we can do to help businesses and workers move forward. We’re very concerned about how this is affecting the economy now and long range. We’re looking at where the post-COVID-19 world can be.”

Statistics that L&I released Friday portray a morbid picture – for now. Those figures did not include county and regional rates across the state. Those, according to Meckley, will not be available until June 2.