Unemployment Rate Declines for Eighth Consecutive Month
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its employment situation report for December 2020.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was down 0.1 percentage points over the month to 6.7 percent in December, the eighth consecutive monthly decline. The U.S. rate remained unchanged from November at 6.7 percent. The commonwealth's unemployment rate was 2.1 percentage points above its December 2019 level while the national rate was up 3.1 points over the year.
Pennsylvania's civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – decreased 15,000 over the month due to declines in both employment and unemployment.
Pennsylvania's total nonfarm jobs were down 37,600 over the month to 5,606,000 in December. The December decline followed seven consecutive monthly gains. Jobs decreased in 7 of the 11 industry supersectors, but the largest contributor was leisure & hospitality (-36,900). The largest gain was in trade, transportation, and utilities, up 18,700 jobs due to increases in all component sectors – wholesale trade, retail trade and transportation, warehousing & utilities.
Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah DeSantis, dlipress@pa.gov
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Editor's Note: A breakdown of Pennsylvania's employment statistics follows.
| Current Labor Force Statistics |
| Seasonally Adjusted |
| (in thousands) |
| | | | | Change from | Change from |
| | December | November | December | November 2020 | December 2019 |
| | 2020 | 2020 | 2019 | volume | percent | volume | percent |
| PA | | | | | | | |
| Civilian Labor Force | 6,283 | 6,298 | 6,538 | -15 | -0.2% | -255 | -3.9% |
| Employment | 5,864 | 5,871 | 6,235 | -7 | -0.1% | -371 | -6.0% |
| Unemployment | 420 | 427 | 303 | -7 | -1.6% | 117 | 38.6% |
| Rate | 6.7 | 6.8 | 4.6 | -0.1 | ---- | 2.1 | ---- |
| | | | | | | | |
| U.S. | | | | | | | |
| Civilian Labor Force | 160,567 | 160,536 | 164,579 | 31 | 0.0% | -4,012 | -2.4% |
| Employment | 149,830 | 149,809 | 158,735 | 21 | 0.0% | -8,905 | -5.6% |
| Unemployment | 10,736 | 10,728 | 5,844 | 8 | 0.1% | 4,892 | 83.7% |
| Rate | 6.7 | 6.7 | 3.6 | 0.0 | ---- | 3.1 | ---- |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Note:
Due to annual benchmarking, January 2021 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released March
12, 2021. |
| | | | | | | |
| Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and
Salary Employment |
| Seasonally Adjusted |
| (in thousands) |
| | | | Change from | Change from |
| December | November | December | November 2020 | December 2019 |
| | 2020 | 2020 | 2019 | volume | percent | volume | percent |
| | | | | | | |
| Total Nonfarm Jobs | 5,606.0 | 5,643.6 | 6,079.5 | -37.6 | -0.7% | -473.5 | -7.8% |
| | | | | | | | |
| Goods Producing Industries | 817.6 | 816.1 | 862.2 | 1.5 | 0.2% | -44.6 | -5.2% |
| Mining & Logging | 23.0 | 23.4 | 28.2 | -0.4 | -1.7% | -5.2 | -18.4% |
| Construction | 254.9 | 254.3 | 260.7 | 0.6 | 0.2% | -5.8 | -2.2% |
| Manufacturing | 539.7 | 538.4 | 573.3 | 1.3 | 0.2% | -33.6 | -5.9% |
| | | | | | | |
| Service Providing Industries | 4,788.4 | 4,827.5 | 5,217.3 | -39.1 | -0.8% | -428.9 | -8.2% |
| Trade, Transportation & Utilities | 1,080.8 | 1,062.1 | 1,123.9 | 18.7 | 1.8% | -43.1 | -3.8% |
| Information | 73.8 | 74.3 | 86.9 | -0.5 | -0.7% | -13.1 | -15.1% |
| Financial Activities | 330.9 | 331.0 | 331.6 | -0.1 | 0.0% | -0.7 | -0.2% |
| Professional & Business Services | 773.9 | 770.0 | 817.8 | 3.9 | 0.5% | -43.9 | -5.4% |
| Education & Health Services | 1,217.1 | 1,232.1 | 1,305.6 | -15.0 | -1.2% | -88.5 | -6.8% |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 411.2 | 448.1 | 582.7 | -36.9 | -8.2% | -171.5 | -29.4% |
| Other Services | 223.2 | 230.8 | 260.7 | -7.6 | -3.3% | -37.5 | -14.4% |
| Government | 677.5 | 679.1 | 708.1 | -1.6 | -0.2% | -30.6 | -4.3% |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| For a more detailed breakdown of seasonally adjusted jobs data
at the sector level, please contact the Center for Workforce Information
& Analysis at 1-877-4WF-DATA, or visit www.paworkstats.pa.gov |
|
| | | | | | | |
| Note:
Due to annual benchmarking, January 2021 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released March
12, 2021. | |