Region’s jobless rate still trending down

Employers hiring people at slow pace

The fickle statistics of the labor market notwithstanding, the Pittsburgh region’s unemployment rate in March remained near the lowest in a generation, and employers are hiring people at a slow pace.

The region’s unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percent to 3.9% last month, and annual job growth registered at 0.9%, up slightly from February. That’s according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which releases regional jobless reports each month.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh region’s report came with a big revision as the state labor department reviewed the prior year’s data and made adjustments. February’s unemployment rate, originally reported at 3.6% — the lowest since the 1970s — was revised up to 4%. Prior months’ data was also revised up to higher unemployment rates.

“Every month, when the monthly data comes out, the previous month’s data is also subject to revision,” Lindsay Bracale, the agency’s deputy communications director, explained in an email.

“In this case as well, there was also an impact from finalizing the annual processing ... and seasonal adjustment updates.”

The larger trends did not change with the revision: Unemployment has been trending down for more

than two years, which is a challenge for hiring managers looking for workers to fill positions.

Demographics have been a big part of the shift: An aging population in the Pittsburgh region has led to a wave of retirements with, in some cases, not enough younger people to replace them. Combined with an extended economic expansion, fewer people surveyed by the government are looking for work and unable to find it.

The region’s unemployment rate in March was down a half-percent compared to 4.4% in March 2018. The job growth of 0.9% compares to 1.4% seen in March 2018.

Revisions to monthly numbers serve as a reminder that the data in the state’s report are preliminary and are often adjusted in future reports.

According to Tuesday’s report, employers in the Pittsburgh region added 10,800 jobs over the last year.

The biggest annual gains came in construction, which is in the middle of a building spree in the Pittsburgh region. The industry grew by 3,600 jobs, or nearly 7% of its total workforce since March 2018.

Leisure and hospitality, which includes full-service restaurants and hotels, posted a net gain of 3,700 positions, growing its workforce by 3%. Education and health services added 2,900 jobs, for a 1% growth.

Other sectors saw slower growth or declines. Manufacturing cut 1,600 jobs, or 2% of its workforce, while professional and business services lost 1,100 jobs, or a 1% cut.

The Pittsburgh metro area, which encompasses Allegheny and six surrounding counties, had the 11th-lowest jobless rate in March among 18 metro areas across the state. The metro area’s rate matched the statewide rate of 3.9% and was higher than the U.S. rate of 3.8%.

County unemployment rates in the region in March ranged from a low of 3.3% in Butler County to a high of 4.9% in Fayette County.