The seven-county Pittsburgh region posted a jobless rate of 4.6% in February, weeks before Gov. Tom Wolf shut down what the state deemed nonessential business.
The 4.6% jobless rate, as adjusted for seasonal hiring factors, was the same as in January but 0.6 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate in February 2019, the state’s Center for Workforce Information and Analysis announced on Tuesday.
The number of jobless workers in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties was 56,600, which was 900 more than in January. There were 47,900 unemployed workers in February 2019.
The workforce information center said the data was collected in mid-February, about a month before the mandated retail closures and ban on eating inside restaurants.
Allegheny County’s jobless rate was 4.3% and Westmoreland’s was 4.9%, both 0.1 percentage point higher than in January.
The number of nonfarm jobs in the region increased by 6,800 in February to 1.83 million. With the return of students to colleges and universities, the sector saw an increase of 4,000 jobs.
Prior to the coronavirus hitting the region, hospitals in the region had cut 200 jobs, according to state statistics.
