PA Unemployment Rate Continues Trending Downward

Pennsylvania’s workforce grew again in May as the state’s unemployment rate sank to another post-pandemic low, according to new state figures released Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.6% from April’s rate, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry. The national rate was 3.6% in May. In a survey of households, the labor force grew by 30,000, as the number of employed grew by 40,000 to farther above 6.1 million and the number of unemployed fell by 10,000 to below 300,000. The state’s labor force is rebounding after falling during the COVID-19 pandemic. It hit a record high of almost 6.6 million just before the pandemic hit, and still remains below 2008’s levels.