Pennsylvania's unemployment rate drops in October

For the second month in a row, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has dropped two-tenths of a percentage point.

The state’s unemployment rate for October was down to 6% according to the PA Department of Labor & Industry’s preliminary employment situation report released Friday. It’s the eighth consecutive month the state’s unemployment numbers have declined with 12,000 fewer unemployed individuals in Oct.

The unemployment rate fell from 6.4% to 6.2% in Sept.

In Oct., the commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage point below its Oct. 2020 level and the national rate was down 2.3 percentage points over the year.

L & I press secretary Alex Peterson said the 0.2% percentage point drop in Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate is good news because it reflects a continued decline in unemployed Pennsylvanians.

“Over the last month, employment numbers increased but the overall labor force declined, which indicates more people were hired while others left the labor force,” he said.

Peterson added that it’s important to remember that people leave the labor force for a variety of reasons, many of which are positive.

“During periods of recovery – like now – people often leave the labor force because a partner has found or improved their employment position and their household no longer needs additional income,” he said. “People are also more likely to retire when the economy is more secure.”

Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs increased by 19,100 over the month to 5,760,800 in October, the sixth consecutive gain. The largest movement was in the leisure and hospitality sector with an increase of 8,600 jobs. Leisure and hospitality also had the largest 12-month gain, adding back 47,300 jobs.