Pittsburgh MSA Unemployment Rate Ticks Up To 7.4% In July

HARRISBURG (AUGUST 30) – In July, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.4 percent. The local rate was below Pennsylvania’s rate (7.8%) and the United States’ rate (9.1%). The Pittsburgh MSA’s unemployment rate was down five-tenths of a percentage point from July 2010, while Pennsylvania’s rate was down eight-tenths of a percentage point and the national rate was down four-tenths over the same period.

Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA had the sixth lowest unemployment rate in July. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.9%) had the lowest rate and Fayette County (9.4%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 6.1 percent in Centre County to 11.0 percent in Cameron County.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose 2,900 in July to 1,143,100. July marked the sixth monthly increase in seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the 2011 calendar year. Statewide jobs also trended positively, adding 8,700 in July to 5,693,200. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 14,600 (1.3%) from July 2010, while Pennsylvania’s jobs rose 70,500 (1.3%) from the previous year’s level.

Goods-producing jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA fell by 100 in July to 152,900. July’s goods-producing decline followed four consecutive months of increases of at least 3,000. Construction continued to show growth (+600), and has now shown positive movements for five consecutive months. Manufacturing accounted for the only goods-producing decline, ending a four-month positive trend. Over the year, goods producers have added 3,800 jobs, with manufacturing (+1,500), mining & logging (+1,200), and construction (+1,100) all showing increases beyond previous year’s levels. 

Service-providing jobs fell 10,900 in July, returning below the one million job mark. Government provided the steepest decline in July, carried by a seasonal job loss in public schools. The local government decline of 11,900 was slightly larger than the previous five-year average decline of 10,300. Trade, transportation, and utilities experienced the second largest over-the-month job decline, down 1,800. This decline was associated with school bus transportation, and was relatively minor compared to the previous five-year average decline. Professional & business services provided the largest July increase, adding 1,700 jobs and matching the supersector record level of 163,200 set in July of 2008. Leisure & hospitality added 600 jobs in July, establishing a new all-time high level of 116,200.

Over the year, five out of the eight service providing supersectors have shown growth. Trade, transportation, & utilities (+4,800), professional & business services (+3,300), and education & health services (+3,000) have provided the greatest over-the-year increases. Conversely, government (-2,700), information (-300), and other services (-100) have experienced declines from the previous year’s levels.

Comcast Cable Introduces Low Cost Internet Service Plan For Disadvantaged Families In Pittsburgh

As the nation’s largest Internet service provider, Comcast is spearheading an ambitious and comprehensive broadband adoption experiment called Internet Essentials.
The goal of Internet Essentials is to help close the digital divide and ensure more Americans benefit from all that the Internet as to offer. It is available to families with children who receive a free school lunch as part of their enrollment in the National School Lunch Program in more than 4,000 school districts in 39 states plus the District of Columbia.

While participating in Internet Essentials, participants receive:

• Low-cost Internet for $9.95 a month (plus applicable taxes);

• No price increases, no activation fees, or equipment rental fees;

• A voucher redeemable to purchase a low-cost computer ($149.99 + tax) given at initial enrollment;

• Access to free digital literacy training in print, online or in-person.

Internet Essentials customers also receive Norton™ Security Suite ($160 value) for comprehensive online security, at no additional charge.

Essentials will become available during the 2011-2012 “Back to School” season. A household is eligible to participate in Internet Essentials if it meets all of the following criteria:

• Is located where Comcast offers Internet service;

• Has at least one child who receives a free school lunch as part of his/her enrollment in the National School Lunch Program;

• Has not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days;

• Does not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment.

Comcast will accept new program participants through the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

For general information about Internet Essentials, visit: www.InternetEssentials.com (for English) and www.InternetBasico.com (for Spanish). For educators or community-based program leaders, visit: www.InternetEssentials.com/partner. For parents looking to enroll in the program, call 1-855-846-8376 or for Spanish call 1-855-765-6995.

Monster Employment Index For Pittsburgh Reaches Record High Level For July!

The Monster Employment Index, which measures the number of job postings across a broad spectrum of job boards and compares that number to a base year of 2003, reached a record level for Pittsburgh at 169 for July.

Some of the strongest Pittsburgh employment categories include “Business and Financial Operations”, “Community and Social Services”, “Healthcare Support”, “Food Preparation and Serving”, “Building, Grounds Cleaning, Maintenance” and “Transportation and Material Moving.

Nationwide the Labor Department reported that 117,000 jobs were created in July with the prior two months estimates increased by a combined 54,000 jobs.

For a complete breakdown of both the local and national employment  indexes please click here.

U.S. added 117,000 jobs in July. Not huge but FAR better than many feared! Previous 2 months revised higher as well!

By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The U.S. added 117,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 9.1%, the government said Friday, in a better-than-expected report that appeared to temporarily calm jittery financial markets.


The report will reduce fears that the U.S. is heading toward recession,” said Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.
Yet while employers hired more workers than economists expected, the gain wasn’t big enough to put a dent in disappointing labor-market trends.

The jobless rate has stayed above 8% for 30 straight months, the longest stretch of high unemployment since the Great Depression in the 1930s. What’s more, the drop in the unemployment rate in July stemmed mainly from a decline in the labor force as discouraged job seekers stopped looking for work.

During times of rapid growth, the U.S. typically adds at least 200,000 jobs a month, but much larger increases would be required for months on end to yank the unemployment rate back down to pre-recession levels.

Read More Here

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's Largest Job Fair of the Summer Coming July 20th at Consol Energy Center!

The 10th annual Pittsburgh Diversity Employment Expo Job Fair series will continue this year on July 20th at Consol Energy Center from 10:00AM to 3:00PM. Back in March over 1,500 job seekers were in attendance to speak with 90 companies and schools that were on hand. 

Produced by the Pittsburgh office of EmploymentGuide.com and co-sponsored by The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh in association with AARP Foundation WorkSearch and the Allegheny County Department of Veteran's Affairs, featuring career opportunities from Callos Companies, an outplacement and recruiting company, this event is open to the general public and free for all job seekers.

Positions being offered will be in healthcare, nursing, oil/gas, manufacturing, banking/finance, Insurance, sales, customer service, retail, military, hospitality, drivers, social services and much more.

Job seekers can pre-register by going here and following the promps.

Over 60 Employers and Schools will be hiring at the job fair including:

Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.

Aramark CONSOL Energy Center

Arc Human Services

Army National Guard

Art Institute Of Pittsburgh

Avis Budget Group

First Student

Dish Network

Brayman Construction Corp.

Callos Companies

Community College of Allegheny County

Charter Foods/Taco Bell

Cintas

Citizens Bank

City of Pittsburgh

Coldwell Banker Real Estate

Community Options

CONSOL Energy Inc.

Cornell-Abraxas Youth & Family Services

Coventry Management Services, Inc.

Dollar Bank

Duquesne University

Education Management / EDMC

E Z Energy Convenience Stores

Eighty-Four Lumber

Energy Contractors/ Nabors Well Service

ePeople Healthcare

Erie Insurance

Everest Institute

Face 2 Face Sales Solutions

Farmers Insurance Group

Fedex Ground

Follow Your Customer

Gallagher Home Health Services

Geneva College

Glade Run Lutheran Services

Goodwill

Home Healthcare Staffing

Lifesteps, Inc.

Mainstay Life Services

Mass Mutual

HCR Manorcare

NCR Corporation

New York Life

Northwood Realty

OK Grocery Co

Oncology Nursing Society

PA Mentor

Pennsylvania State Police

Pittsburgh Job Corp Center

Pittsburgh Technical Institute-PTI

Prudential Financial

Prudential Preferred Realty

Renewal, Inc.

Shaft Drillers International

South Hills Movers

Southwestern Pa Commission CommuteInfo

Southwood Psychiatric Hospital

State Farm Insurance

StoneMor/Mt Royal Cemetery

T H Hill Associates

Transitional Service Inc

US Navy

And more!

Here is a short video from the March Employment Expo:

Manpower Survey: Positive Hiring Intentions Persist Among U.S. Employers for Third Quarter

Largest percentage of surveyed employers since Q4 2008 plan to add staff

MILWAUKEE (June 14, 2011) – Positive yet careful hiring intentions are expected to persist in the U.S. throughout the summer, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today by ManpowerGroup. According to the seasonally adjusted survey results, the Net Employment Outlook for Quarter 3 2011 is +8%, up from +6% during the same period last year and consistent with the +8% Outlook during Quarter 2 2011. Although positive, the Outlook of +8% is softer than the mostly double-digit Outlooks reported during previous decades.

This quarter’s survey indicates the following trends:

· 2011 Gains Holding Steady: Since the first quarter of 2011, when the Net Employment Outlook jumped to +8% from +5% the previous quarter, hiring expectations have remained consistent.

· Positive Hiring Intentions Across U.S.: Employers in all 50 states report positive hiring intentions and 42 out of 50 states anticipate considerable increases in the typically strong third quarter. Of the 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas surveyed, 99 percent report positive employment Outlooks.

· Seven Straight Quarters of Employment Growth: Since Quarter 1 2010, employers have reported a positive overall hiring Outlook in each survey, according to seasonally adjusted data.

· Many Sectors Gaining Momentum: Employers in nine of 13 industries surveyed nationally report the strongest overall Outlook within their sectors since Quarter 1 2009.

“Although employers are not signaling dramatic upswings in hiring plans, there does seem to be hiring energy developing based on sustained year-over-year growth,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup president of the Americas. “This is also the eleventh consecutive quarter with a single-digit Net Employment Outlook, indicating a level of caution not seen among employers in the last 30 years of data. This fact, along with many clouds still on the economic horizon, may explain the tepid labor market growth we have seen so far.”

Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed, 20 percent anticipate an increase in staff levels in their Quarter 3 2011 hiring plans, while 8 percent expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +12%. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook becomes +8%. Sixty-nine percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. The final 3 percent of employers indicate they are undecided about their hiring intentions.

“Our data shows that one in five employers plan to add staff in the next three months, the highest ratio we’ve seen since the recovery started,” said Prising. “As more employers shift to hiring mode, we are starting to see talented job seekers receive multiple employment offers, and also negotiate for higher salaries. As hiring momentum slowly builds, the talent supply and demand challenges of the Human Age will impact hiring trends. Employers may want to hire, but they will struggle to find the right person, in the right place, which will bring a level of urgency to developing new recruiting and training strategies.”

Hiring Outlooks for Industry Sectors and Regions
Employers in 11 of the 13 industry sectors surveyed have a positive Outlook for Quarter 3 2011:

Leisure & Hospitality (+27%), Mining (+25%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+20%), Professional & Business Services (+19%), Durable Goods Manufacturing (+17%), Nondurable Goods Manufacturing (+16%), Transportation & Utilities (+14%), Construction (+11%), Information (+11), Financial Activities (+11%) and Other Services (+7%).

Employers in two industry sectors have a slightly negative Outlook: Government (-1%) and Education & Health Services (-2%).

Employers in 10 industry sectors expect prospects to increase quarter-over-quarter, with employers in Wholesale & Retail Trade anticipating the largest increase quarter-over-quarter, with a gain of eight percentage points. Employers in the Other Services industry sector look to keep staff levels stable compared to three months ago at this time, while Government employers expect the hiring pace to slightly decrease and Educational Health Services employers anticipate a moderate decrease.

Employers in all four U.S. geographic regions surveyed anticipate a positive seasonally adjusted Outlook. The third quarter 2011 hiring Outlook is brightest in the Northeast, where a slight increase in hiring plans is expected compared to the second quarter of 2011 and to one year ago at this time. Compared to one year ago, a slight increase in employment prospects is also expected in the Midwest, South and West, although the three regions are all relatively stable quarter-over-quarter.