Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate remains at an all-time low of 4% in November.

WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 4% in November, remaining at a record low for October 2022.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) on Friday released its preliminary employment report for November 2022.

The US unemployment rate was also unchanged during the month, remaining at 3.7%.

The Commonwealth unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points below the November 2021 level, and the national unemployment rate was down 0.5 percentage points for the year.

“The historically low unemployment rate for two consecutive months means that working Pennsylvanians have the opportunity to be selective about finding wages that support their families and career paths that allow them to pursue their passions,” said L&I Secretary Jennifer Barrier . “But the flip side of low unemployment is a shortage of skilled workers for some industries. Therefore, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to invest in growing our workforce, developing skilled workers that meet the needs of Pennsylvania employers, and attracting talented workers to the Commonwealth.”

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force — the estimated number of residents who are working or looking for work — fell by 5,000 in the month. The number of employed decreased by 2,000, and the number of unemployed decreased by 3,000.

Total nonfarm payrolls in Pennsylvania rose by 10,400 over the month to 6,021,800 in November.

The number of jobs increased in nine out of 11 industrial supersectors since October. The largest increase is in other services (+4.1 thousand). Over the year, the total number of jobs in the non-agricultural sector increased by 189,200, and in each of the 11 supersectors.

Between April 2020 and November 2022, Pennsylvania recovered approximately 93.5% of the jobs lost in the first two months of the pandemic.

The three supersectors are trade, transport and utilities; information; and professional and business services—in November 2022, they were above their pre-pandemic vacancy levels.

More information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provides the most accurate month-to-month comparison. Data for November are preliminary and subject to correction.