WORKFORCE INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 3, 2013

CONTACT: STEVEN ZELLERS

INDUSTRY & BUSINESS ANALYST

717-772-1358

A-B-E UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 8.6% IN NOVEMBER

HARRISBURG, PA (JANUARY 3) - The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical

Area’s (MSA) seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.6

percent in November.

The MSA’s rate was again tied with the Philadelphia MSA’s rate for the 11

th

lowest among

the state’s 14 MSAs. Rates for all the MSA’s in November ranged from 5.7 percent in State College to 9.4 percent in

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. Pennsylvania’s rate decreased three-tenths of a point over the month to 7.8 percent, while

the United States’ rate decreased two-tenths to 7.7 percent. Over the past year, both the MSA’s and Pennsylvania’s

rate were unchanged, while the U.S. rate has fallen a full percentage point.

The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA’s

seasonally adjusted

nonfarm jobs decreased by 3,100 to 341,700 in

November (see Table 2A)

. Over the year, the MSA was up 2,100 jobs. Detailed industry data for the MSA is not

seasonally adjusted (see below).

Retail trade posted a gain of 1,200 jobs in November, and was marginally up (+300) over the year. This was the

strongest November over-the-month gain since 2007.

Professional and business services declined 1,300 from October. The majority of that drop was within administrative

and waste services, down 800 jobs over the month; the sector includes numerous types of businesses, such as

employment services, as well as landscaping services.

Leisure and hospitality was down 2,400 over the month, a typical seasonal decline. The supersector posted an

over-the-year gain of 2,000, the largest of all the industry groupings within the MSA.

Transportation and warehousing remained at 15,700, an all-time record high for this sector, first reached last month.

Record-keeping for this series began in 1990; its level in November 1990 was 7,400.

WORKFORCE INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE

651 Boas Street

Room 220

Harrisburg, PA 17121

www.paworkstats.pa.gov

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CIVILIAN

LABOR EMPLOY- UNEMPLOY- RATE LABOR EMPLOY- UNEMPLOY- RATE

FORCE MENT 2/ MENT (%) 3/ FORCE MENT 2/ MENT (%) 3/

November 2012 429,200 394,900 34,300 8.0 433,200 396,000 37,200 8.6

October 434,700 399,100 35,600 8.2 434,100 396,100 38,000 8.7

September 430,500 394,900 35,600 8.3 432,200 394,200 38,000 8.8

November 2011 419,800 386,200 33,600 8.0 421,100 385,000 36,100 8.6

CIVILIAN

LABOR EMPLOY- UNEMPLOY- RATE LABOR EMPLOY- UNEMPLOY- RATE

Allentow n-Beth.-East. PA-NJ MSA 429,200 394,900 34,300 8.0 433,200 396,000 37,200 8.6

Altoona MSA 66,000 61,600 4,300 6.6 65,900 61,100 4,800 7.3 Erie MSA 144,300 134,200 10,100 7.0 144,000 133,000 11,000 7.6 Harrisburg-Carlisle MSA 286,900 267,900 19,000 6.6 289,600 268,800 20,800 7.2 Johnstow n MSA 69,500 63,900 5,600 8.0 69,200 63,200 6,100 8.7 Lancaster MSA 270,500 254,200 16,300 6.0 272,500 254,600 17,900 6.6 Lebanon MSA 73,400 68,900 4,500 6.1 73,900 69,000 4,900 6.6 Philadelphia MSA 3,022,100 2,781,600 240,600 8.0 3,019,600 2,760,200 259,400 8.6 Pittsburgh MSA 1,263,400 1,181,200 82,100 6.5 1,265,100 1,174,200 90,900 7.2 Reading MSA 209,500 194,500 15,000 7.1 209,500 193,200 16,400 7.8 Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA 291,600 266,400 25,100 8.6 291,400 264,100 27,300 9.4

State College MSA 79,400 75,500 4,000 5.0 77,300 72,900 4,400 5.7

Williamsport MSA 63,800 59,200 4,700 7.3 63,900 58,800 5,200 8.1

York-Hanover MSA 230,400 214,300 16,100 7.0 231,600 214,100 17,500 7.6

PENNSYLVANIA 6,526,000 6,052,000 474,000 7.3 6,542,000 6,030,000 512,000 7.8

UNITED STATES 154,953,000 143,549,000 11,404,000 7.4 155,291,000 143,262,000 12,029,000 7.7

A LL DA TA A RE ON 2011 B ENCHM A RKS. SOURCE: Center fo r Wo rkfo rce Info rmatio n & A nalysis, P ennsylvania Department o f Labo r & Industry

FOOTNOTES

3/ Unemplo yed as percent o f civilian labo r fo rce, co mputed using unro unded data.

4/ Seaso nally adjusted M SA level data (and their equivalent) is develo ped by the federal B ureau o f Labo r Statistics (B LS); seaso nal adjustment fo r all o ther areas is develo ped by the Center fo r Wo rkfo rce Info rmatio n & A nalysis (CWIA ).

ALLENTOWN - BETHLEHEM - EASTON METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA

(Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, PA; Warren County, NJ)

TOTAL CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE, EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

1/ Estimate o f wo rkers by place o f residence. These data are co ntro lled to state Current P o pulatio n Survey (CP S) data which adjusts fo r co mmuting and dual jo b-ho lding. Wo rkers are co unted where they live o nly o nce regardless o f the number o f jo bs they may ho ld. A ll in-depth inquiries relative to the estimating metho do lo gy sho uld be addressed to the B ureau o f Labo r Statistics, U.S. Department o f Labo r. A ll data are subject to revisio n during annual benchmarking.

2/ Includes wage and salary wo rkers (including agriculture), self-emplo yed perso ns, and unpaid family wo rkers (including agriculture), do mestic wo rkers, and perso ns invo lved in labo r-management disputes.

November 2012 SEASONALLY ADJUSTED 4/ AREA NAME BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE 1/ SEASONALLY ADJUSTED 4/ TIME PERIOD

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CIVILIAN

LABOR EMPLOY- UNEMPLOY- RATE LABOR EMPLOY- UNEMPLOY- RATE

CARBON COUNTY November 2012 32,400 29,300 3,100 9.5 32,500 29,200 3,300 10.1 October 32,800 29,600 3,100 9.6 33,000 29,600 3,400 10.3 September 32,500 29,400 3,100 9.5 32,600 29,300 3,300 10.2 November 2011 31,700 28,600 3,100 9.8 31,800 28,500 3,300 10.4 LEHIGH COUNTY November 2012 182,800 168,200 14,600 8.0 183,700 168,100 15,500 8.4 October 185,600 170,100 15,600 8.4 186,400 170,200 16,300 8.7 September 183,900 168,500 15,500 8.4 184,100 168,100 16,000 8.7 November 2011 178,500 164,100 14,400 8.1 179,400 164,000 15,300 8.6 NORTHAMPTON COUNTY November 2012 154,400 142,300 12,200 7.9 154,900 142,000 13,000 8.4 October 156,500 143,900 12,600 8.1 156,900 143,700 13,200 8.4 September 155,100 142,500 12,600 8.1 155,500 142,100 13,400 8.6 November 2011 150,600 138,800 11,800 7.8 151,100 138,500 12,600 8.3

A LL DA TA A RE ON 2011 B ENCHM A RK. SOURCE: Center fo r Wo rkfo rce Info rmatio n & A nalysis, P ennsylvania Department o f Labo r & Industry

FOOTNOTES

3/ Unemplo yed as percent o f civilian labo r fo rce, co mputed using unro unded data.

ALLENTOWN - BETHLEHEM - EASTON METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA

(Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton Counties, PA; Warren County, NJ)

TOTAL CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE, EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

1/ Estimate o f wo rkers by place o f residence. These data are co ntro lled to state Current P o pulatio n Survey (CP S) data which adjusts fo r co mmuting and dual jo b-ho lding. Wo rkers are co unted where they live o nly o nce regardless o f the number o f jo bs they may ho ld. A ll in-depth inquiries relative to the estimating metho do lo gy sho uld be addressed to the B ureau o f Labo r Statistics, U.S. Department o f Labo r. A ll data are subject to revisio n during annual benchmarking.

4/ Seaso nally adjusted M SA level data (and their equivalent) is develo ped by the federal B ureau o f Labo r Statistics (B LS); seaso nal adjustment fo r all o ther areas is develo ped by the Center fo r Wo rkfo rce Info rmatio n & A nalysis (CWIA ).

2/ Includes wage and salary wo rkers (including agriculture), self-emplo yed perso ns, and unpaid family wo rkers (including agriculture), do mestic wo rkers, and perso ns invo lved in labo r-management disputes.

BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE 1/

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED 4/ TIME PERIOD

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Industry Employment

Net Change From:

ESTABLISHMENT DATA

Nov 2012

Oct 2012

Sep 2012

Nov 2011

Oct 2012

Nov 2011

TOTAL NONFARM 343,900 346,700 342,500 341,100 -2,800 2,800 TOTAL PRIVATE 303,200 305,800 302,700 299,200 -2,600 4,000 GOODS-PRODUCING 49,500 49,400 48,600 48,300 100 1,200 Mining, Logging, and Construction 12,400 12,500 12,500 12,500 -100 -100 Manufacturing 37,100 36,900 36,100 35,800 200 1,300

Durable Goods 22,000 21,900 21,500 20,800 100 1,200

Non-Durable Goods 15,100 15,000 14,600 15,000 100 100

SERVICE-PROVIDING 294,400 297,300 293,900 292,800 -2,900 1,600 PRIVATE SERVICE-PROVIDING 253,700 256,400 254,100 250,900 -2,700 2,800 Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 71,000 69,800 68,800 70,300 1,200 700

Wholesale Trade 13,600 13,700 13,700 13,600 -100 0

Retail Trade 40,500 39,300 38,400 40,200 1,200 300

Food and beverage stores 9,900 9,900 9,800 9,900 0 0

General merchandise stores 7,300 6,700 6,600 7,300 600 0

Department stores 4,700 4,300 4,300 4,900 400 -200

Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities 16,900 16,800 16,700 16,500 100 400

Transportation and Warehousing 15,700 15,700 15,500 15,400 0 300

Information 5,600 5,600 5,600 5,500 0 100

Financial Activities 15,100 15,100 15,100 15,100 0 0

Finance and insurance 12,600 12,600 12,500 12,500 0 100

Insurance carriers and related activities 7,000 7,000 7,000 6,900 0 100

Professional and Business Services 48,200 49,500 49,400 48,500 -1,300 -300

Professional and technical services 12,900 13,300 13,300 12,700 -400 200

Management of companies and enterprises 10,500 10,600 10,600 10,400 -100 100

Administrative and waste services 24,800 25,600 25,500 25,400 -800 -600

Employment services 14,000 14,100 14,200 12,200 -100 1,800

Education and Health Services 68,500 68,700 67,500 68,100 -200 400

Educational services 13,200 13,100 12,100 13,800 100 -600

Health care and social assistance 55,300 55,600 55,400 54,300 -300 1,000

Hospitals 18,800 18,800 18,700 18,400 0 400

Leisure and Hospitality 31,300 33,700 33,700 29,300 -2,400 2,000

Accommodation and food services 25,100 25,600 25,100 24,600 -500 500

Food services and drinking places 22,500 22,600 22,700 22,300 -100 200

Other Services 14,000 14,000 14,000 14,100 0 -100 Government 40,700 40,900 39,800 41,900 -200 -1,200

Federal Government 2,200 2,300 2,200 2,300 -100 -100

State Government 2,900 2,800 2,800 2,900 100 0

Local Government 35,600 35,800 34,800 36,700 -200 -1,100

Local government educational services 22,300 22,400 21,200 23,400 -100 -1,100

Local government excluding educational services 13,300 13,400 13,600 13,300 -100 0

Data benchmarked to March 2011 ***Data changes of 100 may be due to rounding***

TABLE 2

ALLENTOWN-BETHLEHEM-EASTON METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA

(Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton PA counties; Warren County, NJ)

November 2012

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Industry Employment

Net Change From:

AREA

Nov 2012

Oct 2012

Sep 2012

Nov 2011

Oct 2012

Nov 2011

PENNSYLVANIA 5,751,400 5,749,500 5,744,700 5,704,100 1,900 47,300 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton MSA 341,700 344,800 341,500 339,600 -3,100 2,100 Altoona MSA 61,800 61,300 60,400 61,300 500 500 Erie MSA 133,200 131,800 133,500 131,500 1,400 1,700 Harrisburg-Carlisle MSA 324,400 324,200 323,700 321,700 200 2,700 Johnstown MSA 60,600 60,500 59,600 60,200 100 400 Lancaster MSA 231,700 231,100 230,200 226,900 600 4,800 Lebanon MSA 49,800 49,700 49,900 50,100 100 -300

Philadelphia Metropolitan Division 1,884,300 1,882,300 1,879,000 1,873,100 2,000 11,200

Philadelphia MSA 2,726,000 2,721,900 2,719,500 2,704,200 4,100 21,800

Pittsburgh MSA 1,168,500 1,164,300 1,160,100 1,160,200 4,200 8,300

Reading MSA 174,400 172,400 172,000 170,200 2,000 4,200

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA 261,000 260,200 259,200 256,300 800 4,700

State College MSA 76,300 76,000 75,100 76,000 300 300

Williamsport MSA 55,900 55,600 55,400 55,100 300 800

York-Hanover MSA 181,000 181,300 180,600 177,600 -300 3,400

Philadelphia City 647,900 651,000 654,800 655,300 -3,100 -7,400

Note: Beginning with the release of January 2009 data, seasonally adjusted data are available for all of Pennsylvania's published MSAs, as well as the Philadelphia Metropolitan Division and Philadelphia City. Historical data back to 1999 (and for select areas, to 1997) are available for all areas in this table. For more information, please contact the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis at 877-4WF-DATA or by email at [email protected].

Data benchmarked to March 2011 ***Data changes of 100 may be due to rounding***

November 2012

TABLE 2A

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED TOTAL NONFARM JOBS

FOR PENNSYLVANIA, MSAs and Select Areas