Pennsylvania's Employment Situation for March 2012

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.5 percent in March, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the 7.6 percent February rate. Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was below the U.S. rate of 8.2 percent, and has been below the U.S. rate for 47 consecutive months, and at or below the U.S. rate for 65 consecutive months.

The state's unemployment rate was down 0.4 percentage points from March 2011.

Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was up 16,000 in March to 6,406,000. Resident employment was up 21,000 to 5,927,000, and the number of unemployed residents fell 5,000 to 479,000. Pennsylvania's labor force was 3,000 above its March 2011 level.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 7,800 in March to 5,728,400. The March gain was the third increase in the last four months. Most of the increase was within service-providing industries, which increased by 8,200 jobs. Leisure & hospitality had the largest increase of any supersector in March, up 7,000 to a record high of 522,000. Mining & logging, up 500 to 38,500 jobs, reached its highest level since the series began in 1990. The largest decline in March was in construction, down 3,000 to 226,700.

Pennsylvania's job count was up 45,700 (0.8 percent) over the year while national total nonfarm jobs were up 1,899,000 (1.5 percent) over the past 12 months.

Media contact: Christopher Manlove, 717-787-7530

Editor's Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania's employment statistics is available on the Department of Labor & Industry's website at www.dli.state.pa.us.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry