September Job Numbers for Pennsylvania

Posted by on October 31, 2011

September Job Numbers
PA Advantage Shrinks as Unemployment Rate Climbs Closer to National Rate

Keystone Research Center Economist Stephen Herzenberg issued the following statement on the September Pennsylvania jobs report:

“The number of jobs in Pennsylvania fell by 15,800 in September, over half of which was an 8,300 drop in government jobs. In another troubling indicator, the number of manufacturing jobs in the state fell for the first time in 10 months, a further sign that declines in public-sector employment are dragging down the private economy.

“Since May, the Pennsylvania unemployment rate has increased by nearly a percentage point, from 7.4 percent to 8.3 percent, while the U.S. unemployment rate has held steady at 9.1 percent. While the difference between the U.S. and state unemployment rates — the ‘Pennsylvania Advantage’ — fluctuates a lot on a month-to-month basis, this gap has been smaller than the current 0.8% in only one month since 2009.

“The September report demonstrates yet again that Pennsylvania and the nation need a jobs plan. Policymakers have been sitting on their hands for the past two years and Pennsylvania families are paying the price.”

The Keystone Research Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that promotes a more prosperous and equitable Pennsylvania economy. Learn more: http://www.keystoneresearch.org.