Pa. Payrolls Up, Jobless Rate Down In February

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s payrolls recorded a big jump in February and the unemployment rate sank to a new post-pandemic low. The state Department of Labor and Industry says Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 5.1% from January’s rate. The national rate was 3.8%. In a survey of households, the labor force was flat, although the number of employed grew by 12,000. In a survey of employers, non-farm payrolls in Pennsylvania grew in February by 34,000, driven primarily by hiring in manufacturing and the trade, transportation and utilities sectors. Pennsylvania has regained about 80% of the 1.1 million jobs lost in the early months of the pandemic.