Pa. Unemployment Rate Remains at 4.0 Percent in November

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its preliminary employment situation report for November 2022.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in November, remaining at the record low set in October 2022. The U.S. unemployment rate was also unchanged over the month, remaining at 3.7 percent. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points below its November 2021 level and the national rate was down 0.5 percentage points over the year.

“A historically low unemployment rate for two months in a row means that Pennsylvania workers have the ability to be selective in their search for family-sustaining wages and career paths that afford them the ability to pursue their passions,” L&I Secretary Jennifer Berrier said. “But the flipside of a low unemployment rate is scarcity of skilled workers for some industries. So, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to invest in growing our labor force, developing skilled workers who meet the needs of Pennsylvania employers and attracting talented workers to the commonwealth.”

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was down 5,000 over the month. The employment count declined by 2,000 and resident unemployment declined 3,000.

Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs were up 10,400 over the month to 6,021,800 in November. Jobs increased from October in nine of the 11 industry supersectors. The largest gain was in other services (+4,100). Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 189,200 with gains in each of the 11 supersectors.

From April 2020 to November 2022, Pennsylvania has recovered approximately 93.5 percent of jobs lost in the first two months of the pandemic. Three supersectors - trade, transportation & utilities; information; and professional & business services – were above their pre-pandemic job levels in November 2022.