Pittsburgh Region Adds Jobs In December

By Bill Toland / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

   

While the raw news may not be good -- the unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh region rose to 7.3 percent in December -- the region hit a positive benchmark of sorts last month:

Five years and counting with an unemployment rate lower than both the state and the national jobless number.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, issued Monday by the state Department of Labor and Industry, increased for the first time since September.

In October and November, the regional rate dropped from 7.4 percent to 7.2 percent. For the year, January through December, the region's unemployment rate crept from 7.0 to 7.3 percent.

Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted rate in December 2012 rose one-tenth of one percentage point to 7.9 percent, and the national rate was unchanged at 7.8 percent.

In the region, Butler County remains the county with the lowest rate, at 6.8 percent, while Fayette County remains the highest, at 9.7. The city's rate -- which is not seasonally adjusted -- was estimated at 7.1 percent.

Even as the region's rate inched up, the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area added an estimated 800 jobs, to a record of nearly 1.17 million. Year-over-year, according to the Department of Labor and Industry, the non-farm total grew by 7,200 jobs.
That means that the region's increasing unemployment rate is not the result of fewer jobs, but a larger labor force.

Slight drop in Pittsburgh region's jobless rate

By Ann Belser / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 Unemployment in the seven-county Pittsburgh region declined one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.2 percent in November, the state Department of Labor and Industry announced Thursday.The area covered by the report -- Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties -- had a combined seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate that was lower than the state's rate of 7.8 percent or the national rate of 7.7 percent in November.
The unemployment rate, which is based on a survey of households, showed the regional labor force grew by 1,000, with 2,900 more people reporting they had jobs in November than in October even as 2,000 fewer reported being unemployed. Those numbers should add up, but were slightly askew due to rounding.
A second survey, which polls employers, showed the region gained a total of 4,500 jobs, including 1,000 in the government sector that had seen big losses in previous months. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
In the public sector, the federal government cut 200 jobs during the month while the state government added 500, bringing that sector even with its employment levels of November 2011.

PG graphic: Regional jobless rate 7.2%
(Click image for larger version)

Local municipalities cut 100 jobs in November, but the public schools added 800 jobs in November. Since last year, there are 2,300 fewer positions in local municipalities with 800 fewer jobs in the public schools.
Retail trade added 4,700 jobs in November as part of the seasonal employment boost caused by the run up to the holidays. That was 700 more jobs than the same time last year.
Financial services also added jobs, 1,000 over the month and 4,000 since November 2011.
Education and health services added 1,600 during November but the sector was down 800 jobs from November 2011. The loss can be explained in part by cuts to social service agencies, which eliminated 100 jobs during November and a total of 1,200 jobs since November 2011.
In addition, colleges and universities have cut 900 jobs since last November, though they did add 300 jobs during November 2012. Hospitals added 100 jobs during the month and 400 over the prior 12 months. Physicians offices also added 100 jobs in November and 500 from a year ago.
While the service sector added 5,100 jobs, goods producers were cutting back. Construction companies cut 400 jobs in November and are down by 2,200 from last year. Manufacturing cut 300 jobs, with 400 jobs lost in durable goods but 100 jobs added in non-durable goods in November. Overall the manufacturing sector is up by 900 jobs from last year.
Leisure and hospitality employers cut 3,700 jobs during the month, with 1,300 jobs lost at bars and restaurants. Overall the sector is still up from the same month last year with 3,300 more jobs.

Joblessness in W.Pa. rises to 7.1%, but more at work

By Thomas Olson Pittsburgh Tribune Review
The Pittsburgh region reached near-record employment in June, but its unemployment rate increased to 7.1 percent anyway, the state said in a report issued Tuesday.

The seven-county jobless rate was 0.3 of a percentage point higher than May’s rate of 6.8 percent — the largest increase since February 2010, according to the state Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, based on a monthly survey of residents.

 

 

At the same time, employers in the region added 12,600 jobs in June, and 15,400 since June 2011. That brought the Pittsburgh region’s job count to 1,160,800, the highest level since February 2001, when it was a record 1,163,300, said the agency, citing a survey of employers.

 

 

“Employment went up, but the labor force went up even faster,” said Matthew Marlin, an economics professor at Duquesne University. The labor force, composed of those working or looking for work, jumped by 9,000 since May, and by 24,200 since June 2011.

 

 

“The report tells me more people are optimistic and went out to look for a job,” Marlin said. “A number of discouraged workers apparently became encouraged workers.”

 

 

The region had 89,200 unemployed residents last month, which was 4,600 more than in May.

The seven-county region consists of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

 

 

Read more here

Pittsburgh region's jobless rate holds steady

By Patricia Sabatini / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

   

The unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh region held steady in May at 6.8 percent, the same rate recorded in March and April, the state Department of Labor and Industry reported today.

The labor climate locally continued to outperform the state and the nation as a whole, with the May jobless rate at 7.4 percent in Pennsylvania and 8.2 percent nationwide.
In May a year ago, the jobless rate in the Pittsburgh region was 7.3 percent.

After smoothing out seasonal spikes in hiring, the labor department reported nonfarm jobs in the region fell by 2,500 last month, the second straight monthly decline.

Unadjusted figures showed employers in the region added 7,800 jobs in May as the goods-producing sector gained 1,500 positions and the service sector added 6,300.

Among goods-producing industries, construction added 1,800 jobs, the smallest May increase since 2006. Compared to May 2011, construction jobs were off by 4,100.

Manufacturing jobs fell by 400 in May following three months of gains.

In the service sector, which showed the weakest bump up in May since 2005, professional and business services posted a strong gain of 1,600 jobs while education and health services lost 5,000.

Leisure and hospitality added 6,100 jobs and local government gained 1,200. But federal and state government trimmed 1,100 jobs.

Among the seven counties in the region, Butler had the lowest jobless rate in May at 6.1 percent and Fayette had the highest at 8.6 percent.

Across Pennsylvania, unemployment rates ranged from 5.5 percent in Centre County to 10.5 percent in Cameron County.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce touts Pittsburgh's job creation

By Tracie Mauriello / Post-Gazette Washington Bureau    

WASHINGTON -- Pennsylvania doesn't appear anywhere on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's top 10 lists of exporters, job creators or producers of college graduates, but travel to the southwest corner and you'll find a center of innovation so strong that it's the national business group's best role model for job creation.

The Chamber released its findings Wednesday in two reports issued at the conservative business group's annual Jobs Summit. One of the reports highlights Pittsburgh and Denver, cities that over the past two years had more job growth than the country's other metropolitan areas with populations of more than 1 million.

Pittsburgh showed 3.9 percent job growth and Denver showed 3.8 percent, while the average for the other 49 largest metropolitan areas is 2.8 percent.

The Chamber attributed the cities' success to networking and business partnerships, but the cities have one more thing in common: a history of hosting huge conventions that put the eyes of the world on them.

Denver hosted the 2008 Democratic National Convention; Pittsburgh, the 2009 G-20 world economic summit.

"You simply cannot put a dollar figure on the kind of marketing that occurred. ... Everybody knows about Denver now," Mayor Michael Hancock said during a panel discussion Wednesday.
Likewise, the G-20 helped raise Pittsburgh's profile as a convention destination and as an innovative city that transformed itself after the decline of the steel industry.

"It enabled us to show off our city, to show off some of the things we have, and we did ... gain some business growth from that," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. It was worth the disruptions caused by road closures and security measures surrounding the summit, he said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/us-chamber-touts-pittsburghs-job-creation-640310

Pittsburgh MSA Unemployment Rate Steady At 6.8%

HARRISBURG (MAY 30) – In April, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) remained at 6.8 percent.

Pittsburgh’s rate was still below both Pennsylvania’s rate (7.4%), and the United States’ rate (8.1%), which were each down one-tenth of a percentage point in April. Over the year, the Pittsburgh MSA’s unemployment rate was down half of a percentage point, the same as Pennsylvania’s movement from last April, while the national rate was down nine-tenths. Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA tied for the fifth lowest unemployment rate in April. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.1%) had the lowest rate while Fayette County (8.5%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.3 percent in Montour County to 11.7 percent in Cameron County.

Seasonally adjustedTotal nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were down 1,300 in April. The April decline followed two months of increases. Pennsylvania’s nonfarm job count also dropped in April, down 600 to 5,727,700. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 16,400 (1.4%) from April 2011, twice the Pennsylvania growth rate of 0.7% over the year.

April Industry Detail (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In April, Pittsburgh MSA goods-producing jobs rose by 2,600 to 144,100. The majority of the increase was due to construction, up 2,400 as spring hiring began. Over the year, local goods producing jobs were down 1,700 with the vast majority of the decline attributable to construction. Mining & logging was up 1,200 from last April, and has shown over-the-year increases of at least 1,000 since April 2010.

Pittsburgh MSA service providers added 8,200 jobs in April. The largest increase was a typical spring leisure & hospitality gain, up 4,600 jobs. Education & health services showed a decline of 500 due to a record April drop in health care & social assistance that was driven by social assistance. Professional & business services added 2,200 jobs, aided in part by an increase of 1,000 in administrative & waste services, which includes landscapers. Over the year, education & health services (+8,700) and professional & business services (+3,200) recorded the greatest job growth, while government (-3,400) experienced the largest employment decline.

Railroad companies seeking improvements, 15,000 new hires

By Tom Fontaine
Tribune-Review
Don Despines turned to railroading a decade ago after earning a college accounting degree and working several sales jobs.

"I didn't feel comfortable raising a child on commission," said Despines, 34, who lives in Economy, five miles from one of the region's largest railyards in Conway. He said steady pay and attractive retirement benefits lured him to the career.

The nation's seven major railroads hope such selling points will help them hire a combined 15,000 people this year, almost a quarter of them military veterans and many from other professions, according to the Washington-based Association of American Railroads that represents the major freight haulers and Amtrak. Smaller, short-line and regional railroads intend to hire thousands more.

"If they add any jobs in Conway, it would be a blessing. If they add 500, I might tap dance on Route 65," said Donna Fath, a bartender at a VFW that sits across the highway from Norfolk Southern's sprawling Conway Terminal in Beaver County, once the nation's largest rail yard. It employs about 1,400.

Norfolk Southern intends to hire 2,800 people this year. It did not say how many would be based at Conway. On average, 60 to 80 trains a day pass through the giant yard that stretches four miles along the upper side of the Ohio River. It is also unknown how many people will be hired locally at CSX, but the state's No. 2 hauler hired 4,000 people last year and plans to hire more than 3,000 this year.

Railroads plan to spend a record $13 billion of their money on system improvements, the railroad association said. A PennDOT report released in December 2010 said Pennsylvania's railroads planned at least $376.6 million of work in the following three years.
"We can't say (railroads) are poised to regain their previously dominant position, but their long period of decline appears to be over and they are holding their own," said Noel Perry, managing director and senior consultant at Freight Transportation Research Associates in Nashville, Ind.

Railroad employment is on pace to rise for the second year in a row. It averaged about 232,000 through this year's first three months and 229,000 employees for all of 2011, up from 216,525 in 2010, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

It would be just the 12th time since 1947 that average annual railroad employment increased, and just the fourth time that railroads posted two or more years in a row of increased employment. Railroads endured a 22-year skid between 1952 and 1973 in which employment dropped every year, and an 18-year slide between 1980 and 1997.
Perry said rail freight haulers have improved service and profit margins over the past decade, allowing them to put more money toward infrastructure improvements and training of new employees. "As the economy grows, most railroads will be able to grow along with it," he said.

The booming Marcellus shale natural gas industry has created an emerging rail market in Pennsylvania, which has more railroads -- 55 -- than any other state, said Joe Gerdes, executive of the Harrisburg-based Keystone State Association of Railroads.
"It's been a godsend here, particularly to short-line railroads," Gerdes said.

Gerdes said Wellsboro & Corning Railroad -- which operates a 35-mile line between Tioga County in northcentral Pennsylvania and Steuben County in New York -- hauled about 300 carloads of scrap metal a year before the Marcellus industry arrived. Now it's moving thousands of carloads of sand and water from drilling sites, Gerdes said.

Wellsboro & Corning received a $700,000 state grant this year for line improvements. It was among $23.2 million in state grants doled out for rail projects, including $7.4 million in Western Pennsylvania. It was the lowest total since the state awarded $14.3 million in grants in 2007, PennDOT said. Major railroads aren't eligible for federal funding for capital projects, Association of American Railroads spokeswoman Holly Arthur said.

Overall, the railroad association said, major railroads hauled 8.1 million carloads of freight in the first 16 weeks of this year, down 0.7 percent from the same period a year ago and almost 7 percent below the same period in 2007 -- before the recession began.

A mild winter and low natural gas prices dampened demand for coal, which fills more than two of every five rail freight cars. Grain shipments also tumbled. Increased shipments of petroleum products, automobiles, metal, lumber, and truck trailers and shipping containers -- also known as intermodal traffic -- helped offset the losses.

Shipping by barge increased 6.9 percent during the first three months of this year compared with the same period a year ago. Shipping by truck increased by 2.7 percent in March compared with March 2011.
Of the new hires at major railroads, about 3,000 are planned because of growth, while the remaining 12,000 are because of attrition, including a wave of retirements that is expected to continue and to open up tens of thousands of jobs in years to come, Arthur said. Train operations and maintenance jobs offer the most opportunities, she said.

Bill Thompson of Imperial, a 37-year railroad worker, is retiring this week. A locomotive engineer turned full-time union rep, Thompson estimated that more than 60 percent of engineers -- including some with decades on the job -- "have no idea when they're coming or going" because they work on-call.

"You've got to be ready to work at a moment's notice seven days a week. If you want all your weekends off or evenings or days off, then railroading is not for you," he said. "This job has been very good for my family, but it's a tough lifestyle."

Despines, the salesman who switched to a railroad career, started at Norfolk Southern as a conductor trainee and became a locomotive engineer in about two years. He mostly runs trains between Conway and Toledo, Ohio.

"You're away from home a lot and you're always on call. The security of the job and the pension we have is what keeps me there," Despines said. The Association of American Railroads says average wages and benefits total $107,000 at major railroads.
If you're a military veteran, the railroads want you.

Railroads have long hired large numbers of military veterans. Arthur said their "dedication, leadership and strategic thinking" abilities make them well-suited for the job. Veterans make up about 20 percent of the work force at CSX and 14 percent of it at Norfolk Southern, spokespeople said.

One sat in the bar at the Conway VFW late Thursday afternoon: Eddie Keller, 80, a Korean War veteran who worked at the Conway yard for 43 years. He built a home just up the hill from the rail yard, well within earshot of the clanging, ringing, rumbling and whistling.
"People have asked if the noise ever bothers me. It never has. It's the sound of people working," Keller said, adding he'd gladly put up with more racket if it meant more jobs for the area.

February Job Report Shows Positive Trends

The jobs outlook improved once again in February as both new employment and the overall labor force rose for the third straight month. Employers added over a quarter of a million private sector jobs, beating conservative Wall Streetestimates that called for a 210,000 increase.

Private-sector employment grew by 233,000 jobs, 227,000 of which consist of nonfarm payroll employment. Employment rose in professional and businesses services (+82,000) with temp services accounting for just over half that figure at 45,000. Health care and social assistance also posted gains (+61,000), as did leisure and hospitality (+44,000), and manufacturing industries (+31,000).

The unemployment rate is holding steady at 8.3 percent after falling in recent months. The long-term unemployment numbers, tracking those who have been jobless for 27 weeks or more, fell slightly from 5.5 million to 5.4 million. The long-term unemployed account for over 42% of the total unemployment figure.

One of the most promising indicators lies within the U-6 rate, which declined to 14.9 percent, the lowest reading in more than three years. Often referred to as the “underemployment rate”, the U-6 rate doesn’t just measure the percentage of people in the U.S. that are unemployed — the figure most often quoted in the media, which is sometimes called the U-3 rate — it also tracks two other very important groups. 

The U-6 rate also accounts for those who are marginally attached to the work force — unemployed people who, for whatever reason, have not looked for work in the 4 weeks prior to the survey, whether due to school attendance, family responsibilities, or because they simply gave up looking for work.  It also tracks those who would prefer full-time employment, but due to economic circumstances are working part-time jobs instead.

According to Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “This month's report makes another addition to a solid and improving trend in what has been the most important missing piece in the economic recovery so far: conditions in the job market.”

Another interesting point lies within the December and January job numbers, which were both recently revised. December’s final job tally rose from 203,000 additional jobs to 223,000, a 20,000 job difference. January’s results were even more drastic, going from 243,000 estimated jobs to 284,000. So overall, an additional 60,000 jobs that were not initially counted have now been added to the totals, making February’s increases that much more significant.

Pittsburgh Unemployment Down to 6.9% in December

HARRISBURG (JANUARY 31) – In December, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was down two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.9 percent. The local rate remained below Pennsylvania’s rate (7.6%), which fell three-tenths of a percentage point, and the United States’ rate (8.5%), which was down two-tenths of a percentage point. 


Over the year, the Pittsburgh MSA’s unemployment rate was down a full percentage point, while Pennsylvania’s rate and the national rate were both down nine-tenths of a percentage point.


Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA was tied for the 5th lowest unemployment rate in December. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.4%) had the lowest rate while Fayette County (8.6%) had the highest rate. 


Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.1 percent in Centre County to 11.5 percent in Cameron County.


Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose 5,200 in December to 1,156,300, the highest level since April 2001. December marked the tenth increase in 2011. Pennsylvania’s nonfarm job count increased by 6,500 in December to 5,699,100, the highest level since January 2009. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 26,600 (2.4%) from December 2010, while Pennsylvania’s jobs rose 59,200 (1.0%) from last year’s level.


Pittsburgh MSA service-providing jobs rose 4,200 in December, establishing a new record level of 1,016,900 jobs. Trade, transportation, & utilities (+5,200) accounted for a majority of the service-providing jobs increase as local retailers continued to add seasonal employment. 


Leisure & hospitality and education & health services supersectors incurred the largest over-the-month declines, down 900 jobs each. Both declines were expected as leisure & hospitality generally shows a sizable decline in December, and education & health services typically experiences a reduction in employment due to the ending of the fall school semester. 


Over the year, education & health services (+10,400) and trade, transportation, & utilities (+7,700) have provided the greatest job growth, while government (-1,000) and information (-200) have experienced the largest employment declines.

PITTSBURGH MSA UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN TO 7.0%

HARRISBURG (DECEMBER 1) – In October, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) fell four-tenths of a percentage point to 7.0 percent, the second consecutive decline of four-tenths of a percentage point.

The local rate remained below Pennsylvania’s rate (8.1%) which fell two-tenths of a percentage point and the United States’ rate (9.0%) which was down one-tenth of a percentage point. Over the year, the Pittsburgh MSA’s unemployment rate was down nine-tenths of a percentage point, while Pennsylvania’s rate was down four-tenths of a percentage point, and the national rate fell seven-tenths of a percentage point over the same period.

Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA was ranked as the 5th lowest unemployment rate in October. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.4%) had the lowest rate while Fayette County (8.7%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.3 percent in Centre County to 11.2 percent in Cameron County.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose 8,400 in October to 1,149,600. October tied for the third largest employment increase on record. Statewide jobs also showed growth, up 13,800 to 5,690,900. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 21,600 (1.9%) from October 2010, while Pennsylvania’s jobs rose 54,500 (1.0%) from last year’s level.

Pittsburgh Region's Unemployment Rate Declines

Unemployment in the Pittsburgh region fell in September, a sign the economy is improving as employers add more jobs, experts said.

The jobless rate in the seven-county region declined to 7.4 percent, down 0.4 of a percentage point from 7.8 percent in August, the first decline after four months of rate increases, the state said today.

"This is a good report. The economy is going upstream. We're still not at 2007 and 2008 (pre-recession) levels, but we're not that far from there," said Frank Gamrat, an economist and senior research associate for the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, a Castle Shannon think tank.

The jobless rate fell mainly because schools reopened and rehired staff, adding 7,200 jobs, state and area economists said. Another big jump came in the transportation and warehousing sector, which added 3,400. On the negative side, wholesale and retail trades lost 3,400.

The region -- Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties -- continued a trend of year-over-year job increases. There were almost 13,000 more jobs in September than a year ago, increasing the total to 1.147 million, the state Center for Workforce Information and Analysis said in its report.

In September, Pennsylvania's jobless rate was 8.3 percent and the national rate was 9.1 percent.

Not all the region's economic news was good.

While the region's jobs picture is better off than a year ago, Harold Miller, president of Future Strategies LLC, a Downtown consulting firm, said the rate of regional growth slowed a bit from August to September, compared to pre-recession levels of September 2008.
Local schools experienced the job increases from August to September, but there were 2,700 fewer total local education jobs than a year ago, which is likely the results of cutbacks caused by the reduction in state funding, Miller said.

"We are slowly creeping back up," Miller said. "It was pretty much a typical September. It was pretty weak on the government side."

The manufacturing sector, where the region had lost 12,000 jobs in the recession, has added 3,300 jobs since the recession ended in July 2009, bring its total to 89,600 jobs in September, Miller said.

"We're adding jobs, but the jobs are not coming back where we lost them," Miller said, about the shrinking number of manufacturing jobs.

Read more: Region's unemployment rate declines - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_764828.html

Pittsburgh Unemployment Rate Rises in June. How That Can Be A Positive!

HARRISBURG (AUGUST 2)

Number of jobs offered during June enjoyed a healthy increase (8,800) which enticed more people to enter the job market.  This was the cause of the unemployment rate going up.  There were more jobseekers entering the job market than the number of jobs added.
– In June, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) rose three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.3%.
The local rate was below Pennsylvania’s rate (7.6%) and the United States’ rate (9.2%). The Pittsburgh’s MSA unemployment rate was down six-tenths of a percentage point from June 2010, while Pennsylvania’s rate was down 1.1 percentage points and the national rate was down three-tenths of a percentage point over the same period.

Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA had the sixth lowest unemployment rate in June. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.9%) had the lowest rate and Fayette County (9.0%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.7 percent in Centre County to 11.2 percent in Cameron County.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose 8,800 in June to 1,140,600. This month’s increase followed a May decline of 7,900. Statewide jobs were down 2,600 in June to 5,676,900. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 14,100 (1.3%) from June 2010, while Pennsylvania’s jobs rose 46,400 (0.8%) from the previous year’s level.

June Industry Detail (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Goods-producing jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose by 4,600 in June to 153,200For the fourth consecutive month, all three goods-producing supersectors showed over-the-month increases. Construction continued to show seasonal growth, up 3,200, while manufacturing added 1,200 jobs and mining & logging was up 200. Over the year, goods producers have added 5,800 jobs, with manufacturing (+2,700), construction (+1,700), and mining & logging (+1,400) all showing increases beyond previous year’s levels

Service-providing jobs rose 10,900 in June, pushing the job level past one million for the first time ever. Leisure & hospitality continued to see seasonal growth (up 3,500), carried by gains in accommodations & food services. Professional & business services showed the second largest supersector growth, up 1,700 over the month. Within education & health services, a large gain in health care & social assistance was countered by a seasonal decline in educational services. Over the year, trade, transportation, & utilities, education & health services, and professional & business services have shown the largest increases. Supersectors showing over-the-year declines were government, other services, and information.

Pittsburgh Metro Unemployment Rate Drops to 6.8% in March

HARRISBURG (APRIL 26) – In March, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 6.8 percent, the lowest unemployment rate since March 2009.

The local rate was below the Pennsylvania rate (7.8%) and the United States rate (8.8%). The Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate was down 1.5 percentage points from March 2010, while Pennsylvania’s rate was down one percentage point and the national rate fell by nine-tenths of a percentage point over the same period.

Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA had the 5th lowest unemployment rate. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.5%) had the lowest rate and Fayette County (8.8%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.1 percent in Bradford County to 13.3 percent in Cameron County.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA fell 300 in March to 1,133,900. March was the first month to show a decline since September 2010. Pennsylvania jobs were down 1,700 in March to 5,670,100. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 16,600 (1.5%) from March 2010, while Pennsylvania jobs rose 76,500 (1.4%) from the previous year’s level.

Pittsburgh Area Unemployment Rate Dips To 7% In February

HARRISBURG (APRIL 5) – In February, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was down two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.0 percent.

This was the third consecutive monthly decline. The Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate was below the Pennsylvania rate (8.0%) and the United States rate (8.9%). February marked the 37th straight month that the Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate has been below both the Pennsylvania and national rates. The Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate was down 1.5 percentage points from February 2010, while the Pennsylvania and national rates were both down 0.8 percentage points over the same period.

Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.6%) had the lowest rate and Fayette County (9.3%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.1 percent in Bradford County to 12.9 percent in Cameron County.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose for the fifth consecutive month, up 1,700 in February to 1,134,000. Pennsylvania jobs were up 23,700 in February to 5,674,100. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 23,300 (2.1%) from February 2010, and Pennsylvania jobs were up 106,800 (1.9%) from February 2010.

Goods-producing jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were down 2,500 to 136,100 in February. Declines were split between construction (-1,100) and manufacturing (-1,400), while mining and logging remained unchanged. Pittsburgh MSA goods-producing jobs were up 4,200 over the year, with all three goods-producing supersectors showing increases of at least 900 jobs since February 2010.

Service-providing jobs rose 3,400 in February to 976,000. Trade, transportation and utilities showed a decline of 2,900 jobs with retail trade down 2,400 as stores continued to eliminate seasonal retail jobs. Education and health services rose 2,300 in February as educational institutions returned from semester break. Similarly, state and local government also showed education-related increases, up 2,000, and 1,400 respectively.

In the Pittsburgh MSA, seven out of eight service-providing supersectors have shown over-the-year gains. Education and health services (+5,800), leisure and hospitality (+4,500) and professional and business services (+4,200) have shown the greatest over-the-year increases. Information was the only supersector in the Pittsburgh MSA which showed an over-the-year decline, down 700 jobs since February 2010.

Pennsylvania Jobless Rate Falls To 8% In February

Friday, March 18, 2011

By Ann Belser, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state unemployment rate dropped to 8 percent in February from January's 8.3 percent rate, the state Department of Labor and Industry reported Thursday.

Pennsylvania also reported there were 30,000 more people working statewide in February than there were in January.

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is now nearly a full percentage point below the rest of the nation, which logged 8.9 percent unemployment for the month.

Still, the news is actually not good for the long-term unemployed. This week the state announced that unemployment benefits would be reduced from 99 weeks to 93 weeks because, in January, the unemployment rate fell below 8.4 percent and that automatically triggered a reduction in the number of weeks that benefits would be paid.

The January unemployment rate was originally reported at 8.2 percent, but later revised to 8.3 percent. It was the average for November, December and January that triggered the reduction in federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11077/1132749-407.stm

Pittsburgh Loses Jobs In July (but fewer than in "typical" July)

The July unemployment figures just released show that Pittsburgh lost just over 15,000 jobs in July.  On the surface this is bad news.  However, when looking at historical numbers, Pittsburgh ALWAYS loses jobs in July as teachers and other government workers are laid off for the summer (with census workers adding even more to this number than usual). Pittsburgh lost fewer jobs this July than the past five year July average.

The good news is that this is the first month in over two years that Pittsburgh had more jobs (4,400 more) than the year ago period.  Particular strength was seen in Education and Healthcare (+2,300), retail (+1,700) and Leisure and Hospitality (+1,400).

For more detail visit http://bit.ly/bwnvBS

Pittsburgh Metro Sees Unemployment Rate Drop and Jobs Increase in June

For the long term unemployed in the Pittsburgh Metro area the June unemployment report is bittersweet.  For our area, the unemployment rate dropped from 8.6% in May to 8.3%, while adding 7,700 jobs.  The good news is this represents almost 4,000 more jobs than one year ago.

While good news for area economists, who see the Pittsburgh Metro getting better through the rest of the year, it is little help to the more than 100,000 residents who couldn't find work.  Our sense here at EmploymentGuide.com is that employers are beginning to increase their recruitment activities.

While summer is normally a slow recruitment period in good times, this summer has seen a steadily (albeit slowly) increasing number of job postings as well as inquiries toward near term recruitment plans.  Our job fair held recently at Mellon Arena attracted 40 local employers which was the most in two years.


For more details on the job numbers go to the Post Gazette and the Tribune-Review.

Pittsburgh Metro Unemployment Rate Levels off In December. Is the Worst Now Behind Us?

Unemployment figures released today by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry show December came in at 7.9%, the same as November. The source of strength for the report was manufacturing which lost no jobs from the month earlier.

This is consistent with ISM indexes released recently that show manufacturing nationwide is picking up as businesses strive to begin restocking shelves depleted by a year of inventory reductions.

Pittsburgh unemployment appears to have peaked in October when it hit 8.2%. For more details visit a summary from the Tribune Review and the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis Department of Labor and Industry of Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Unemployment Rate Drops in November

The Pittsburgh metro unemployment rate dropped to 7.9% in November from 8.3% in October, more than 2% below the national November rate of 10.2%. However In November 2008 the Pittsburgh rate was only 5.8%. This was the first month to month decline in two years and the largest month to month decline since 1998.

The 7.9% November 2009 rate represents 95,100 unemployed workers out of a labor force of 1,205,200. One year ago the labor force was listed at 1,221,800 with 70,300 unemployed workers.


The lowest county rate was Butler at 7.1% while Fayette County was highest at 10.2%. For more details go to: http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us or http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09364/1024498-455.stm


Manufacturing jobs, though still down from October, are stabilizing at fewer than 90,000 for the region. Service related jobs, powered mostly by healthcare and education, showed growth.

These numbers are consistent with what we saw in November with help wanted job counts showing slight gains (followed in December by further gains).

Pittsburgh Job Market on a Slippery Slope

As the recession begins to deepen in the Pittsburgh region we are seeing an inability of local employers to make decisions about their recruitment plans. We continue to speak with hundreds of Pittsburgh area recruiters each week and are hearing from many of them that they have open positions they need to fill but either are not allowed, at least for the short term, to spend money in the effort, or are fearful of filling a position only to be told within weeks or months that they have to lay the new employee off.

Pittsburgh recruiters are currently just holding their breath. Many of our postings have communicated how we in Pittsburgh are fairing better than most areas around the country. The next month or two should really set the tone of how hard we are ultimately hit for all of 2009.

Most of the layoff announcements that have been publically made over the past month or two that affect Pittsburgh workers have been primarily companies with a national presence (Target, Ericsson, Home Depot, Circuit City) or large financial institutions (PNC Bank, BNY Mellon).

Healthcare and education continue to be the strength of our current job market condition. By keeping, and even continuing to increase, overall jobs in these areas of strength, other area support industries (retail, hospitality and other service industries) have been able to maintain more strength (jobs) than they would otherwise. This is different than in 2001-2002 when we lost 10,000 jobs from US Air.

The most optimistic forecasts predict the recession will continue to deepen until at least June. We will continue to report on strengths and weaknesses for our local job market as we see them.

To try and leave with at least one piece of good news, Single Source Roofing will be adding 50 jobs soon as they move into their new corporate headquarters in the Southpoint Business Park (see announcement from the Pittsburgh Business Times) and Yellow cab will be expanding as they add new service to the south hills area (see Pittsburgh Post gazette article).