Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has been struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, this situation has given some people the chance to reflect on what type of job they really want. It’s possible that Pennsylvania workers who are “not necessarily satisfied” with their jobs can’t find a better replacement, Laurence Ales, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, told 90.5 WESA.
Payroll has also shrunk, the Associated Press reported.
According to Penn Live Patriot News, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate fell from 6.4% in August to 6.2% in September, a decrease of 0.2%. Compared to other states, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate ranks 41st out of 50, with 50 being the highest unemployment.
The unemployment rate across the nation fell to 4.8% over the same period, reports Penn Live Patriot News.
The labor force contracted by 16,000 from August to September in conjunction with a decrease in both the number of employed and unemployed. A survey of employers returned data that showed a decrease in payrolls by almost 8,000.
The Commonwealth Foundation published a study in April 2021 called “7 Signs Pa.’s Pandemic Recovery Is Falling Behind.” As of the time of that publication, the states with the most COVID-19 restricted economies also had the highest unemployment rates; Pennsylvania was ninth highest. The state also nearly topped the list for most businesses closed in 2020, coming in second only to Michigan.
The same study cited that Pennsylvania was rated as the 6th slowest economic recovery, operating at only 82% compared to 2019.
