Harrisburg Patriot-News
November just might have been the tipping point when it comes to Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate. The number of unemployed decreased by 16,000 for the month, the largest decline since 1983 and the second largest decline on record, according to the state department of Labor and Industry.
The unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in November, the latest month for which statistics were available. That is down three-tenths of a percentage point from the October rate of 8.1 percent. And that is the lowest rate for Pennsylvania since June.
The November jobs report brings the total job count, which includes private and public sector jobs, to 5.75 million, the highest level since November 2008. Fueling the job growth was a gain of 7,200 private sector jobs in November, while public sector jobs decreased by 5,300.
Pennsylvania’s job total has risen in each of the past four months. In November, the following sectors experienced the largest gains: leisure & hospitality; education & health services; manufacturing.
In addition to the 7.2 percent unemployment rate for the Harrisburg-Carlisle area, the Lebanon area had a November rate of 6.6 percent, as did the Lancaster area. York-Hanover recorded the highest regional unemployment rate for the month at 7.6 percent.
Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/01/pennsylvanias_unemployment_rat_1.html