Pennsylvania jobless rate fell; payrolls, labor force up

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s payrolls and workforce grew in April as the state’s unemployment rate sank to a post-pandemic low, according to new state figures released Friday.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped onetenth of a percentage point to 4.8 percent from March’s rate, the state Department of Labor and Industry said.

The national rate was 3.6 percent in April. The gap between Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate and the national rate is among the widest it has been in decades.

In a survey of households, the labor force grew by 23,000 to pass 6.4 million, as the number of employed grew by 28,000 to farther above 6 million and the number of unemployed fell by 5,000 to 308,000.

The state’s labor force fell after hitting a record high of almost 6.6 million just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and still remains below 2008′s levels.

In a separate survey of employers, non-farm payrolls in Pennsylvania grew in April by 11,400, driven primarily by hiring in manufacturing, leisure and hospitality and the education and health services sectors.