Fayette unemployment rate rises for fourth consecutive month

Although Fayette County’s unemployment rate remains lower than it was a year ago, it has steadily risen over the last few months, and jumped one percentage point since the start of the year.
The unemployment rate in Fayette County increased one-half of a percentage point in each of January and February to 6.9 percent, based on preliminary figures released by the state Department of Labor and Industry.
In October, the county unemployment rate hit a seven-year low at 5.6 percent before increasing.
Labor department industry and business analyst Ashley Yanchunas said a considerable number of job seekers entering the labor force in February caused the most recent rate increase. Employment statistics include only people who are working or looking for work. People who are not currently seeking employment are not counted in labor force statistics.
The labor force in Fayette County increased from 57,900 in January to 58,400 in February, the number of residents with jobs increased from 54,200 to 54,400 and the number of people actively seeking jobs increased from 3,700 to 4,100.
Figures show that over the past year, Fayette County experienced a drop in labor force of more than 5,000, accompanied by an employment decrease of more than 4,000, but Yanchunas said those numbers might not be accurate.
As the labor department performs its annual benchmarking, past employment figures will be readjusted based on new census information, which makes current comparisons to prior year figures unreliable, she said.
“We perform a review of what we’ve published. It takes into consideration things we might have missed,” said Yanchunas, adding that the new numbers will be published in June and could significantly alter 2014 figures.
“Over the year, while labor force might look like it’s down 5,000, it might not be down 5,000 when we republish. It might not necessarily be the case that it’s a big drop,” she said.
A year ago, the unemployment rate sat at 7.9 percent, but that figure is also subject to change, Yanchunas said.
According to the state’s labor department figures for unemployment rates, Fayette County ranks 64th out of the 67 counties.
The labor department said that winter weather affected outdoor projects in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), resulting in the lost of 5,200 construction jobs in January and another 2,300 jobs in February.
Seasonal declines saw retail (7,600 jobs) and transportation and warehouse jobs (2,500 jobs) reduce staff in January after holiday hiring. Job gains in February were largely education-related with private educational services and local government educational services each adding 2,300 jobs.
Fayette County’s unemployment rate remains the highest in the MSA by nearly one percentage point.
Greene County’s unemployment rate rose more than one percentage point since the beginning of 2015, increasing eight-tenths of a percentage point in January and another three-tenths in February to 5 percent. The county now ranks 20th in the state after having the second-best rate in December.
In Washington County, the unemployment rate increased from 5.1 percent to 5.2 percent, while Westmoreland County’s unemployment rate increased from 5 percent to 5.1 percent.
The state unemployment rate rose for the second consecutive month after five straight months of decline — from 5.1 percent to 5.2 percent. Pennsylvania added nearly 16,000 jobs in the private sector in February, aided by a significant increase in education and health services positions.
The national unemployment rate decreased two-tenths of a point in February to 5.5 percent.