Pa. Unemployment Stays at 4.6 Percent

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stayed at 4.6 percent in February — unchanged from the month before, and lower than the 4.9 percent national unemployment rate.

The state unemployment rate remains at its lowest since September 2007, just before the Great Recession set in, the Pennsylvania Deparment of Labor & Industry said today.

The numbers, though, revealed a shift in the kinds of work Pennsylvanians are getting.

The department reported that over the last year — since February 2015 — the state lost nearly 18,000 jobs in goods producing industries: The mining and logging sector lost 9,100 jobs during that time, nearly a quarter of the sector’s total workforce.

Service sectors, though, added more than 71,000 jobs during the same time. The education and health sector saw the biggest numerical growth: 16,400 new jobs, good for a 1.4 percent increase overall. The leisure and hospitality saw the biggest percentage increase — 2.8 percent — while adding 15,000 jobs.

More numbers below:

Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry