On Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its employment situation report for October 2019.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was up two-tenths of a percentage point from September to 4.2 percent. The national rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 3.6 percent. The commonwealth's unemployment rate matched last October's rate while the national rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point over the year.
Pennsylvania's civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was up 23,000 over the month to 6,516,000, the fourth straight gain. Employment was up by 13,000 and unemployment rose by 11,000.
The estimated number of jobs in Pennsylvania, referred to as total nonfarm jobs, increased 8,400 over the month to a record high of 6,065,000 in October. Jobs were up in 10 of the 11 industry supersectors. The largest supersector movement from September was a gain of 2,500 professional & business services jobs. Trade, transportation & utilities, education & health services, and professional & business services all rose to record high levels in October.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 34,300 with gains in nine of the 11 supersectors. The largest volume change from last October among supersectors was an increase of 11,300 government jobs, buoyed by gains in all three component sectors (federal, state, and local).
