HARRISBURG (NewsRadio KDKA) — The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) revealed May’s commonwealth unemployment numbers Friday.
The Department announced a 6.9% unemployment from their May report.
That’s 2021’s rate, of course.
The Department also unveiled that the unemployment rate compared to last May was much lower, about 6.6 percentage points lower.
The United States was about 7.5 percentage points lower in May 2021 than in 2020.
Throughout May 2021, the Department measured the state’s civilian labor force, which estimates Pennsylvania residents that are currently working or looking for work.
The Department found that the labor force decreased by about 6,000 people, but employment rose by about 10,000.
Unemployment also fell by around 16,000 people.
The state’s nonfarming jobs were up 18,500, which brought the May total to 5,684,200 people.
Jobs in five out of the 11 “supersectors” increased, as well.
According to the Department, the largest volume gain came in the education and health services industry; the sector saw an increase of 12,200 workers.
The most significant decrease, though, hit construction, with a 3,300-person drop in its workforce.
Also noteworthy, all sectors are still currently under their February 2020 numbers.
However, 10 out of the 11 mentioned supersectors have increased over the past year.