Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped from 9.3 percent to 9.2 percent in August, the state Department of Labor and Industry said Thursday.
The total nonfarm job count dropped but so did the number of people looking for work.
The job count fell to 5,592,400 last month, behind the loss of 16,900 jobs, most of which were concentrated in service providing industries, according to seasonally adjusted figures.
The civilian labor force — the number of people working or looking for work — fell 33,000 to 6,363,000 last month. Resident employment fell 25,000, while the unemployment count was down 8,000, the department reported.
The heaviest job losses in the state’s service -producing industries occurred in professional and business services, which shed 8,900 jobs, and financial activities, which lost 2,600 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities also lost 2,000 jobs and leisure and hospitality lost 1,800 jobs. Job losses also occurred in the construction and manufacturing sectors, which lost 1,600 jobs each over last month, and in government, which declined by 3,100 jobs. The state gained 2,700 jobs in other services and 1,500 in information.
The national unemployment rate is 9.6 percent. The unemployment rate in New Jersey fell from 9.7 percent to 9.6 percent in August.
Read more at the Philadelphia Business Journal
