close

State jobless rate falls to 4.5 percent, lowest since ’07

1 min read
article image -

Pennsylvania’s employment picture brightened even more in May, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. The statewide jobless rate fell to 4.5 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from April.

That is the lowest rate recorded in the state since September 2007. Pennsylvania’s figure has dipped the past two months after staying at 4.8 percent for 10 consecutive months. The 4.5 percent rate is four-tenths below that of May 2017.

The commonwealth’s figure, however, remains above that of the United States, which declined one-tenth of a point to 3.8 percent.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was down 14,000 in May, to 6,364,000, which L&I attributed to lower unemployment. Resident employment was up slightly.

The estimated number of nonfarm jobs rose again, by 2,300 to 6,014,400 – a record high for the 14th consecutive month. That figure is 1.3 percent above the May 2017 level. Jobs increased in seven of 11 supersectors, with professional and businesses services establishing a record for the ninth time in 10 months. Construction experienced the largest gain – 19,000 jobs – and education and health services the largest decline, also 19,000.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today