From staff reports
The tri-county area’s December unemployment rate – for the most part – broke its downward trend as percentages in both Clarion and Venango counties rose.
According to the state Department of Labor & Industry, Clarion County’s seasonally adjusted rate of 6.2% is up three-tenths of a percentage point from November and two-tenths of a percentage point above October. In December 2019, the rate was 5.7%.
Venango County’s rate of 7.1% is up one-tenth of a percentage point from November, but one-tenth of a percentage point below October.
Forest County’s November rate of 7.7%, on the other hand, is down three-tenths of a percentage point from both November and October. The rate also is three-tenths of a percentage point below December 2019, which was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The rates reported for all three counties are above the 6.7% statewide and U.S. rates for December.
The state’s rate is down one-tenth of a percentage point from November, and the U.S. rate held from the previous month.
Elsewhere in the region
Mercer County’s December rate of 8.0% is two-tenths of a percentage point above November, but one-tenth of a percentage point below October. In December 2019, the rate was 5.6%.
Crawford County’s rate of 7.0% is three-tenths of a percentage point above November, but two-tenths of a percentage point below October. In December 2019, the rate was 5.3%.
Pennsylvania statistics
The state’s 6.7% December unemployment rate represents its eighth consecutive monthly decline.
The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 2.1 percentage points above its December 2019 level, and the national rate was up 3.1 points over the year.
Civilian labor force
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – decreased 15,000 over the month due to declines in both employment and unemployment.
The state’s total nonfarm jobs were down 37,600 over the month to 5,606,000. The December decline followed seven consecutive monthly gains.
Jobs decreased in seven of the 11 industry supersectors, but the largest contributor was leisure and hospitality, which was down 36,900.
The largest gain was in trade, transportation and utilities, up 18,700 jobs due to increases in all component sectors – wholesale trade, retail trade and transportation, warehousing and utilities.
Other supersectors include mining, logging, construction, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health.
For more information, go to www.dli.pa.gov.