Test technicians Charles Young and Ethan Eckard use joysticks and touch screens to operate a Schramm drilling rig in West Chester, Pa. The oil and gas industry provides approximately 30,000 direct jobs in Pennsylvania.
Lindsay Lazarski / WHYY
Test technicians Charles Young and Ethan Eckard use joysticks and touch screens to operate a Schramm drilling rig in West Chester, Pa. The oil and gas industry provides approximately 30,000 direct jobs in Pennsylvania.
Lindsay Lazarski / WHYY
(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose in December for the fourth straight month, as payrolls shrank and the labor force hit another record high.
The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.5%, after hitting a four-decade low of 3.8% last year.
The national unemployment rate was 3.5% in December.
A survey of households found Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force rose by 18,000 to a record high. However, a separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls dropped by almost 10,000.
Friday’s figures are preliminary and could change.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
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