Contact: Trevor Monk, dlipress@pa.gov
State unemployment rate below U.S. rate for third consecutive month
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) today released its preliminary employment situation report for October 2023.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was unchanged over the month, remaining at the record low of 3.4% in October (records date back to January 1976). The U.S. unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point from September to 3.9%. The Commonwealth's unemployment rate was one full percentage point below its October 2022 level of 4.4%, while the national rate was up two-tenths of a percentage point over the year.
Pennsylvania's civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was up 2,000 over the month due to gains of 1,000 in both resident employment and unemployment.
Pennsylvania's total nonfarm jobs were down 4,700 over the month to 6,168,100. Jobs increased from September in six of the 11 industry supersectors with the largest gain in education & health services (+2,300), which rose to a record high.
Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 129,200 with gains in 10 of the 11 supersectors. Education & health services (+48,100) had the largest volume over-the-year gain among supersectors.
Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on FacebookOpens In A New Window, TwitterOpens In A New Window, and LinkedInOpens In A New Window.
| Current Labor Force Statistics | |||||||
| Seasonally Adjusted | |||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||
| Change from | Change from | ||||||
| October | September | October | September 2023 | October 2022 | |||
| 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | volume | percent | volume | percent | |
| PA | |||||||
| Civilian Labor Force | 6,499 | 6,497 | 6,479 | 2 | 0.0% | 20 | 0.3% |
| Employment | 6,276 | 6,275 | 6,196 | 1 | 0.0% | 80 | 1.3% |
| Unemployment | 223 | 222 | 282 | 1 | 0.5% | -59 | -20.9% |
| Rate | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 0.0 | ---- | -1.0 | ---- |
| U.S. | |||||||
| Civilian Labor Force | 167,728 | 167,929 | 164,646 | -201 | -0.1% | 3,082 | 1.9% |
| Employment | 161,222 | 161,570 | 158,593 | -348 | -0.2% | 2,629 | 1.7% |
| Unemployment | 6,506 | 6,360 | 6,053 | 146 | 2.3% | 453 | 7.5% |
| Rate | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 0.1 | ---- | 0.2 | ---- |
| Note: November 2023 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released on December 22nd, 2023. | |||||||
| Pennsylvania Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment | |||||||
| Seasonally Adjusted | |||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||
| Change from | Change from | ||||||
| October | September | October | September 2023 | October 2022 | |||
| 2023 | 2023 | 2022 | volume | percent | volume | percent | |
| Total Nonfarm Jobs | 6,168.1 | 6,172.8 | 6,038.9 | -4.7 | -0.1% | 129.2 | 2.1% |
| Goods Producing Industries | 853.2 | 857.0 | 846.6 | -3.8 | -0.4% | 6.6 | 0.8% |
| Mining & Logging | 23.3 | 23.4 | 23.1 | -0.1 | -0.4% | 0.2 | 0.9% |
| Construction | 265.8 | 266.5 | 256.0 | -0.7 | -0.3% | 9.8 | 3.8% |
| Manufacturing | 564.1 | 567.1 | 567.5 | -3.0 | -0.5% | -3.4 | -0.6% |
| Service Providing Industries | 5,314.9 | 5,315.8 | 5,192.3 | -0.9 | 0.0% | 122.6 | 2.4% |
| Trade, Transportation & Utilities | 1,163.6 | 1,165.0 | 1,150.8 | -1.4 | -0.1% | 12.8 | 1.1% |
| Information | 96.9 | 96.1 | 93.6 | 0.8 | 0.8% | 3.3 | 3.5% |
| Financial Activities | 341.7 | 340.5 | 336.3 | 1.2 | 0.4% | 5.4 | 1.6% |
| Professional & Business Services | 864.2 | 872.2 | 847.9 | -8.0 | -0.9% | 16.3 | 1.9% |
| Education & Health Services | 1,332.2 | 1,329.9 | 1,284.1 | 2.3 | 0.2% | 48.1 | 3.7% |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 567.4 | 565.3 | 545.2 | 2.1 | 0.4% | 22.2 | 4.1% |
| Other Services | 261.3 | 259.8 | 252.5 | 1.5 | 0.6% | 8.8 | 3.5% |
| Government | 687.6 | 687.0 | 681.9 | 0.6 | 0.1% | 5.7 | 0.8% |
| For a more detailed breakdown of seasonally adjusted jobs data at the sector level, please contact the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at 1-877-4WF-DATA, or visit www.paworkstats.pa.gov | |||||||
| Note: November 2023 labor force and nonfarm jobs statistics will be released on December 22nd, 2023. | |||||||
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