Area unemployment rates rise in November
Area unemployment rates rose in November as more people sought jobs but did not immediately find them. Michele Hiester, an industry and business analyst for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, reported the unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) inched up to 4.6 percent in November from 4.5 percent in October. The seven PMSA counties are Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Armstrong.
Total PMSA labor force in November was 1,216,600 people, up from October’s total of 1,210,600.
Locally, Fayette County’s jobless rate rose from 6.2 percent in October to 6.5 percent in November. Fayette’s rate in November 2005 also was 6.5 percent.
Greene County’s unemployment rates were 5.9 percent in November; 5.7 percent in October; and 6.3 percent in November 2005.
Washington County’s jobless rates were 4.8 percent in November; 4.7 percent in October; and 5.5 percent in November 2005.
In rankings among all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties, Fayette County had the 65th highest unemployment rate in November; Greene County was 60th; and Washington County was 30th. Chester County had the lowest unemployment rate in November at 3.3 percent and Forest County had the highest rate at 6.7 percent.
Hiester said that over the year, the PMSA total jobs count rose 6,900, keeping the job level above the year-ago count for the 17th consecutive month. “A look at the year-to-date average reveals the 2006 11-month average was up 9,300 when compared to the 2005 11-month average,’ she wrote in her monthly report.
Among all the metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in Pennsylvania, the PMSA rate ranked the 10th lowest, following close behind Philadelphia MSA’s rate of 4.5 percent. The 14 MSA’s rates ranged from a low of 3.5 percent in the Lebanon MSA to a high of 5.9 percent in the Johnstown MSA.
Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted rate was 4.5 percent, matching the United States’ rate for November, Hiester said.
“Over the year, the PMSA unemployment rate receded .4 percent from the November 2005 rate of 5 percent. The rate has remained at or below 5 percent for 10 out of the last 12 months. As the labor force expanded, resident employment increased and unemployment rolls shrunk pulling the unemployment rate down over the year,’ she said.
Hiester also reported the number of jobs in the PMSA rose .2 percent from October to November, a gain that was in line with the five-year average gain for the month of November. Increases in service-providing industries outweighed reductions in goods-producing industries, she added.
In specific areas, Hiester said PMSA retailers hired more staff to help handle the holiday shopping surge, pushing the retail job level up 3,000 over the month. The past five-year average gain in November was 3,900. “General merchandisers and clothing retailers, as usual at this time of year, saw the bulk of these additions,’ she said.
There were seasonal reductions in leisure and hospitality, which are typical at this time of year as the changing seasons end some recreational activities.
Construction employment fell in November in the PMSA, also a normal seasonal change. Hiester said the over-the-month decline in construction jobs was in line with past November reductions.
“Local government and private educational services topped off the last of the school-related additions in November. Over-the-month gains in both public and private education were in line with past years’ gains and included the return of Bethlehem Center School District employees from their month-long strike,’ Hiester said.