Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate climbed to 8.2% in September, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the August rate of 8.1%. Resident employment was up 23,000 to 5,974,000, and the number of unemployed residents was up 5,000 to 530,000. Pennsylvania’s labor force was 130,000 above its September 2011 level.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 17,800 in September to 5,733,900 the largest monthly gain since February 2012. The September jobs growth was limited to service-providing industries, which increased by 21,300 to a record high of 4,912,700. Education and health services added the most jobs in September, due mostly to an increase of 8,200 jobs in educational services. Professional and business services also showed a sizeable gain, up 7,900 to a record high of 730,500 jobs.
Pennsylvania’s total (public and private) job count was up 41,100 (0.7%) over the year, with most of the increase concentrated in private service-providing industries. Mining and logging showed the largest increase from September 2011, up 11.8%. Professional and business services up 19,500, had the largest volume gain. Over this time period Pennsylvania saw an increase of 43,900 private jobs.
Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was up 29,000 in September to 6,504,000, the highest level on record. This increase was partially due to people who were marginally attached, including discouraged workers, re-entering the labor force.
