Labor Force Continues to Increase
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its employment situation report for March 2021.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was down one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 7.3 percent in March. The U.S. rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point from February to 6.0 percent. The commonwealth's unemployment rate was 2.2 percentage points above its March 2020 level while the national rate was up 1.6 points over the year.
Pennsylvania's civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – increased 1,000 over the month as employment rose slightly more than unemployment declined.
Pennsylvania's total nonfarm jobs were up 24,000 over the month to 5,678,500 in March, the 10th gain in the past 11 months. Jobs increased in 10 of the 11 industry supersectors with the largest volume gain in education & health services (+8,500). Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were down 369,200 with declines in all supersectors.
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 |
| | March | February | March | February 2021 | March 2020 |
| | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | volume | percent | volume | percent |
| PA | | | | | | | |
| Civilian Labor Force | 6,337 | 6,336 | 6,526 | 1 | 0.0% | -189 | -2.9% |
| Employment | 5,875 | 5,867 | 6,194 | 8 | 0.1% | -319 | -5.2% |
| Unemployment | 462 | 469 | 332 | -7 | -1.5% | 130 | 39.2% |
| Rate | 7.3 | 7.4 | 5.1 | -0.1 | ---- | 2.2 | ---- |
| | | | | | | | |
| U.S. | | | | | | | |
| Civilian Labor Force | 160,558 | 160,211 | 162,721 | 347 | 0.2% | -2,163 | -1.3% |
| Employment | 150,848 | 150,239 | 155,536 | 609 | 0.4% | -4,688 | -3.0% |
| Unemployment | 9,710 | 9,972 | 7,185 | -262 | -2.6% | 2,525 | 35.1% |
| Rate | 6.0 | 6.2 | 4.4 | -0.2 | ---- | 1.6 | ---- |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Note:
April 2021 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released May 21st,
2021.
| Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and
Salary Employment | | Seasonally Adjusted | | (in thousands) | | | | | Change from | Change from | | March | February | March | February 2021 | March 2020 | | | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | volume | percent | volume | percent | | | | | | | | | | Total Nonfarm Jobs | 5,678.5 | 5,654.5 | 6,047.7 | 24.0 | 0.4% | -369.2 | -6.1% | | | | | | | | | | | Goods Producing Industries | 814.9 | 811.5 | 857.8 | 3.4 | 0.4% | -42.9 | -5.0% | | Mining & Logging | 21.5 | 21.4 | 25.6 | 0.1 | 0.5% | -4.1 | -16.0% | | Construction | 251.4 | 252.3 | 263.4 | -0.9 | -0.4% | -12.0 | -4.6% | | Manufacturing | 542.0 | 537.8 | 568.8 | 4.2 | 0.8% | -26.8 | -4.7% | | | | | | | | | | Service Providing Industries | 4,863.6 | 4,843.0 | 5,189.9 | 20.6 | 0.4% | -326.3 | -6.3% | | Trade, Transportation & Utilities | 1,101.9 | 1,100.7 | 1,126.7 | 1.2 | 0.1% | -24.8 | -2.2% | | Information | 81.1 | 81.0 | 88.5 | 0.1 | 0.1% | -7.4 | -8.4% | | Financial Activities | 323.4 | 323.3 | 333.4 | 0.1 | 0.0% | -10.0 | -3.0% | | Professional & Business Services | 770.6 | 769.8 | 811.4 | 0.8 | 0.1% | -40.8 | -5.0% | | Education & Health Services | 1,239.7 | 1,231.2 | 1,304.3 | 8.5 | 0.7% | -64.6 | -5.0% | | Leisure & Hospitality | 447.5 | 441.4 | 560.0 | 6.1 | 1.4% | -112.5 | -20.1% | | Other Services | 230.2 | 228.3 | 259.6 | 1.9 | 0.8% | -29.4 | -11.3% | | Government | 669.2 | 667.3 | 706.0 | 1.9 | 0.3% | -36.8 | -5.2% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 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:
April 2021 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released May 21st,
2021. | | |
|