Area unemployment rates fell in September, state says
More Fayette County residents found jobs in September, helping to push the unemployment rate down to 6.6 percent. The decline followed a similar one in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA), which also saw joblessness fall from 5.1 percent in August to 4.7 percent in September.
Michele Hiester, industry and business analyst with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor ‘s Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, said in her monthly report that the declines came from a shrinking labor force and a gain in resident employment.
Hiester said the overall upward trend in resident employment over the year, along with shrinking unemployment rolls, pushed the unemployment rate down.
Hiester said compared to September 2005, total nonfarm jobs in the PMSA were up 10,600, keeping job levels above the year-ago count for the 15th consecutive month.
“The September 2006 level was only 1,500 below the record high September 2000 count. The PMSA has added 17,900 jobs since September 2004,’ she said.
The PMSA includes Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland, Beaver, Butler, Allegheny and Armstrong counties.
Fayette County’s labor force fell from 65,700 in August to 65,600 in September. Fayette’s resident employment, however, rose from 61,100 in August to 61,300 in September. Fayette’s jobless rate in August was 7 percent while its rate in September 2005 was 6.8 percent.
Washington County also realized a decline in unemployment. Washington’s rates were 5 percent in September; 5.2 percent in August; and 5.6 percent in September 2005.
Greene County’s rates were 6.2 percent in August and September and 6.3 percent in September 2005.
By way of ranking, Fayette County in September had the 65th highest jobless rate among all Pennsylvania’s 67 counties; Greene County ranked 62 highest and Washington County ranked 30th. The lowest jobless rate – 3.5 percent – was reported in Franklin County and the highest – 7.2 percent – in Forest County. Hiester also reported that jobs in both the PMSA and Pennsylvania grew by almost 1 percent in September.
“Schools returning for the fall session dominated most of the area growth and countered seasonal losses in other industries,’ she reported.
Transportation and warehousing employers also expanded their payrolls by 2,000 jobs in September. “Transportation employment surged upwards as school bus drivers returned to work after summer break’ she said.
Hiester said that expected seasonal declines from August to September were seen in leisure and hospitality as establishment employment shrunk by 3.2 percent.
Students leaving summer work to return to school impacted job levels in recreation, amusements, and accommodation and food services. Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted rate was down .3 percent and matched the United States’ rate of 4.6 percent. The PMSA’s September unemployment rate was half a percentage point below the September 2005 rate of 5.2 percent.