Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Rate went up a tenth of a percentage point in the month of December after months of remaining at record-low levels.
The Department of Labor and Industry announced that the statewide unemployment rate up to 3.5% over last month. That is still eight-tenths of a percentage point lower than where it was in December of 2022. By comparison, the national unemployment rate was 3.7%.
The statewide civilian labor force, which is the estimated number of people working or looking for work, was up by 12,000 over the month, mostly due to the gain in resident employment. The total non-farm job number went up by 6200 over the month to a record high of 6,182,700, which is the 11th record high in this category in 2023. Jobs increased in five of the industry super sectors, with record-high gains seen in education and health services, construction and financial activities.
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