Pa. unemployment rate falls in March, 23rd straight month without an increase
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has fallen again.
The state Department of Labor and Industry’s monthly report for March, released Friday, shows the unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point, declining to 3.6%.
In addition, the commonwealth’s unemployment rate for March 2022 was 2.2 percentage points below its March 2021 level.
This month’s jobs report marks the 23rd consecutive month Pennsylvania has gone without an unemployment rate increase, according to Labor and Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier.
“The numbers show the commonwealth continues to rebound strongly from the devastating effects of the pandemic, which put an enormous strain on our labor force,” said Berrier.
From April 2020 through March 2022, Pennsylvania has recovered about 83% of the jobs lost in the first two months of the pandemic, according to the Labor and Industry report.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 195,900, with leisure and hospitality having the largest 12-month gain, adding 70,100 jobs.
Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force, the estimated number of residents working or looking for work, increased by 17,000 over the month. The employment count increased by 32,000 while resident unemployment fell by 15,000.
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