The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania remained steady at 3.4% in August, marking the 11th consecutive month at this rate, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. This figure is well below the national average, which stood at 4.2% in August, down by one-tenth of a percentage point from July.
The state's civilian labor force, which includes residents working or looking for work, decreased by 22,000 to 6,581,000 in August. The majority of this decline was due to a decrease in resident employment by 20,000. Despite this, Pennsylvania's total nonfarm jobs increased by 8,000 over the month to a record high of 6,200,000, marking the 13th consecutive record high for the state's job count.
Jobs increased in seven of the 11 industry supersectors, with the largest gain of 4,500 jobs in education & health services. This sector reached a record high for the 15th consecutive month. Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 102,600 with gains in nine of the 11 supersectors. Education & health services had the largest volume over-the-year gain with an increase of 59,600 jobs.
The Commonwealth's unemployment rate was one-tenth of a percentage point above its August 2023 level of 3.3%, while the national rate was up four-tenths of a percentage point over the year. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry reported.