Unemployment continues to drop across region

The unemployment rate across the region continues to decline from its coronavirus pandemic high, the state Department of Labor & Industry said Tuesday.

The unemployment rate in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area — which includes the city and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware — was at 6%, a drop of seven-tenths of a point over the month, Labor & Industry said. That compares to 6.2% for the state, down two-tenths, and 4.8 for the U.S., down four-tenths over the month.

Seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs were up by 4,000, or 0.1%, since August. The biggest gains were in government (19,700) and education and health services (14,400). Leisure and hospitality was down by 8,400.

Over the year, jobs are up by 85,000, or 3.1%.

Broken down to the county level, Chester County had the lowest rate of 3.7%, a drop of a full percentage point since August. Its seasonally adjusted labor force was 279,700 with 269,200 employed.

Montgomery County was also down a full point to 4.3%. Its labor force saw a slight drop to 445,000, while employment was up by 1,500 to 425,400.

Delaware County’s rate was down by 1.1% to 5.5%. The labor force was at 288,300, a drop of about 3,000, and the number of employed was down by 900 to 272,400.

For Montgomery and Chester, which are grouped with Bucks

County, the service-providing sector saw the biggest increase over the month to 905,000, a rise of 3,000. The biggest drop was in leisure in hospitality, down 4,300 to 78,700.

Delaware County also saw its biggest rise in service-providing, up 2,700 to 201,400. Leisure and hospitality was down by 900 to 18,600.

Berks County

Berks County’s unemployment rate was 5.8% in September, Labor & Industry said. The rate was down six-tenths of a point from August. Over the year, the county’s rate is down 1.8%. The highwater mark for Berks during the pandemic was 18.4% in April 2020.

The number of seasonally adjusted number of workers in September was 202,400 with 190,600 employed.

For September, the seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs were down 0.2%, or 300, to 165,200. Over the year, jobs are down 0.2%, or 400. By comparison, the statewide job total is up 2.3%.

Changes among supersectors over the month were varied. The largest job gains were in government, up 1,800, as schools reopened. Mining, logging and construction and manufacturing both saw the largest decline, each down by 300.

Since September 2020, trade, transportation and utilities are up by 400, but government is down by 600.

Reading’s unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 9.8%, down from 11.5% in August. The city had a labor force of 32,800, down by 400 over the month, and total employment of 29,500, up by 100.

Three suburban townships all saw drops over the month. Spring Township was down by more than a point to 4.7%, Exeter Township was down a full point to 4.6%, while Muhlenberg Township was down by nine-tenths to 5.7%.

Around the state

Among the state’s 67 counties, Chester’s rate was the lowest, while Montgomery was ninth, Delaware was 22nd and Berks was 29th. Schuylkill County’s rate was 35th lowest at 6.1%, Fayette had the highest at 8.3%. The State College MSA was at 4%, the lowest among the state’s 18 metro areas. The Lehigh Valley was at 6.3% and Lancaster was at 4.2%. Scranton had the highest rate at 7.3%.