The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry released its preliminary employment situation report for December and noted a slight rise in the state’s unemployment rate.
According to the report, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 3.6 percent. However, the figure is still below the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.1 percent, which saw a decrease of one-tenth of a point from November.
The state’s unemployment rate is two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the December 2023 level of 3.4 percent, while the national rate increased by three-tenths of a percentage point over the year, officials said.
The civilian labor force in Pennsylvania, estimated at those working or actively seeking employment, decreased by 17,000 to 6,490,000 in December. The decline was primarily driven by a drop in resident employment, which fell by 23,000, while the number of unemployed individuals rose by 6,000.
Despite the dip in the labor force, Pennsylvania reported an increase in total nonfarm jobs, which were up by 13,700 to a record high of 6,229,800 in December.
Job gains occurred in 10 of the 11 industry supersectors, with education and health services leading the way with an increase of 5,300 jobs. Both education and health services, along with leisure and hospitality and other services, reached record high employment levels during the month.
Year-over-year, the state saw an overall increase of 114,700 jobs, with gains noted in nine of the 11 supersectors. The education and health services sector reported the largest volume gain over the year, adding 51,600 jobs.
In Bucks County, where data was last available for November, the unemployment rate stood at 3 percent.
According to state data, Giant Food Store, the Central Bucks School District, Bucks County government, Doylestown Hospital, Walmart, St. Mary Medical Center, Grand View Health, ELC Beauty, the Pennsbury School District, and Wawa are the largest employers in the county.
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