By Christen Smith | The Center Square
The jobless rate in Pennsylvania continues on a downward slope, dropping to 6.4 percent in August.
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It’s the six straight month of decline after July’s unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent. Nationally, 5.2 percent of Americans remain out of work.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry said Friday the number of residents looking for work decreased by 7,000 last month. Nonfarm jobs increased 5,100 to more than 5.7 million.
In the past year, the hospitality industry has posted the biggest gains in job recovery, adding back 66,700 jobs since last summer, though all employment in all sectors still trails pre-pandemic levels.
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Three in 10 businesses shut down, at least temporarily, at the height of the pandemic in March and April 2020, according to federal data, after the Wolf administration enacted some of the strictest mitigation efforts nationwide.
The governor has said he won’t reinstate shutdowns, even as COVID-19 cases caused by variants rise in the state. That’s why he said vaccination remains a priority – and on that front, Pennsylvania “is making good progress.”
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About 67.4 percent of all residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. It also ranks 5th in the nation for total amount of doses administered.
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