PA’s unemployment rate down to 5.7 percent in November

​Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its preliminary employment situation report for November 2021.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down three-tenths of a percentage point over the month to 5.7 percent in November. The U.S. rate fell four-tenths of a percentage point from its October level to 4.2 percent. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 1.4 percentage points below its November 2020 level and the national rate was down 2.5 points over the year.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – decreased 10,000 over the month. Resident unemployment fell for the ninth consecutive month, down 18,000 in November.

Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs were up 13,500 over the month to 5,781,800 in November, the seventh consecutive gain. Jobs rose from October levels in 8 of the 11 industry supersectors with the largest increase in trade, transportation & utilities (+5,700). Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 144,000 with gains in 10 of the 11 supersectors. Leisure & hospitality had the largest 12-month gain, up 46,300 jobs from last November. All supersectors remained below their February 2020, pre-pandemic job levels.

Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison. A breakdown of Pennsylvania’s employment statistics follows.

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