Pennsylvania unemployment hits record low for second straight month in July
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate reached a new record low of 3.5% in July, according to the state's Department of Labor & Industry (DLI).
This new low marks the second consecutive month that the unemployment rate broke a record. At the time, June's 3.8% unemployment rate was Pennsylvania's lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for a single month dating back to January 1976.
According to a DLI press release, the 3.5% July rate was down from 4.3% in July 2022 — a decrease of 0.8% over the past year.
Among Pennsylvania's civilian labor force, resident employment rose by 6,000 and unemployment fell by 15,000 in July, according to the DLI. The number of residents looking for work also decreased by 9,000 last month.
According to the DLI, the number of non-agricultural jobs increased by 14,400 to reach a new record high of nearly 6.15 million in July — up from the June's record high of 6.13 million. In Pennsylvania, this was the seventh straight month that jobs have hit a new all-time high level.
The national average unemployment rate was also 3.5% in July.
President Joe Biden issued the following statement on Pennsylvania's record low unemployment rate: "My economic agenda has kept our economy growing even as we have helped bring inflation down, and Pennsylvania is helping lead the way with the state’s lowest unemployment rate on record. We have seen more than $2 billion in private sector investment pour into Pennsylvania for manufacturing and the industries of the future, strengthening our economy now and laying the groundwork for thousands of good-paying jobs in the years ahead. That’s Bidenomics, and we’re just getting started.”