Pittsburgh MSA Unemployment Rate Ticks Up To 7.4%

HARRISBURG (AUGUST 30) – In July, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.4 percent. The local rate was below Pennsylvania’s rate (7.8%) and the United States’ rate (9.1%). The Pittsburgh MSA’s unemployment rate was down five-tenths of a percentage point from July 2010, while Pennsylvania’s rate was down eight-tenths of a percentage point and the national rate was down four-tenths over the same period.

Among the commonwealth’s 14 MSAs, the Pittsburgh MSA had the sixth lowest unemployment rate in July. Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.9%) had the lowest rate and Fayette County (9.4%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 6.1 percent in Centre County to 11.0 percent in Cameron County.

Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose 2,900 in July to 1,143,100. July marked the sixth monthly increase in seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the 2011 calendar year. Statewide jobs also trended positively, adding 8,700 in July to 5,693,200. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 14,600 (1.3%) from July 2010, while Pennsylvania’s jobs rose 70,500 (1.3%) from the previous year’s level. 

Goods-producing jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA fell by 100 in July to 152,900. July’s goods-producing decline followed four consecutive months of increases of at least 3,000. Construction continued to show growth (+600), and has now shown positive movements for five consecutive months. Manufacturing accounted for the only goods-producing decline, ending a four-month positive trend. Over the year, goods producers have added 3,800 jobs, with manufacturing (+1,500), mining & logging (+1,200), and construction (+1,100) all showing increases beyond previous year’s levels. 

Service-providing jobs fell 10,900 in July, returning below the one million job mark. Government provided the steepest decline in July, carried by a seasonal job loss in public schools. The local government decline of 11,900 was slightly larger than the previous five-year average decline of 10,300. Trade, transportation, and utilities experienced the second largest over-the-month job decline, down 1,800. This decline was associated with school bus transportation, and was relatively minor compared to the previous five-year average decline. Professional & business services provided the largest July increase, adding 1,700 jobs and matching the supersector record level of 163,200 set in July of 2008. Leisure & hospitality added 600 jobs in July, establishing a new all-time high level of 116,200.

Over the year, five out of the eight service providing supersectors have shown growth. Trade, transportation, & utilities (+4,800), professional & business services (+3,300), and education & health services (+3,000) have provided the greatest over-the-year increases. Conversely, government (-2,700), information (-300), and other services (-100) have experienced declines from the previous year’s levels.

U.S. added 117,000 jobs in July. Not huge but FAR better than many feared! Previous 2 months revised higher as well!

By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The U.S. added 117,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 9.1%, the government said Friday, in a better-than-expected report that appeared to temporarily calm jittery financial markets.


The report will reduce fears that the U.S. is heading toward recession,” said Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics.
Yet while employers hired more workers than economists expected, the gain wasn’t big enough to put a dent in disappointing labor-market trends.

The jobless rate has stayed above 8% for 30 straight months, the longest stretch of high unemployment since the Great Depression in the 1930s. What’s more, the drop in the unemployment rate in July stemmed mainly from a decline in the labor force as discouraged job seekers stopped looking for work.

During times of rapid growth, the U.S. typically adds at least 200,000 jobs a month, but much larger increases would be required for months on end to yank the unemployment rate back down to pre-recession levels.

Read More Here

Manpower Survey: Positive Hiring Intentions Persist Among U.S. Employers for Third Quarter

Largest percentage of surveyed employers since Q4 2008 plan to add staff

MILWAUKEE (June 14, 2011) – Positive yet careful hiring intentions are expected to persist in the U.S. throughout the summer, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today by ManpowerGroup. According to the seasonally adjusted survey results, the Net Employment Outlook for Quarter 3 2011 is +8%, up from +6% during the same period last year and consistent with the +8% Outlook during Quarter 2 2011. Although positive, the Outlook of +8% is softer than the mostly double-digit Outlooks reported during previous decades.

This quarter’s survey indicates the following trends:

·        2011 Gains Holding Steady: Since the first quarter of 2011, when the Net Employment Outlook jumped to +8% from +5% the previous quarter, hiring expectations have remained consistent.

·        Positive Hiring Intentions Across U.S.: Employers in all 50 states report positive hiring intentions and 42 out of 50 states anticipate considerable increases in the typically strong third quarter. Of the 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas surveyed, 99 percent report positive employment Outlooks.

·        Seven Straight Quarters of Employment Growth: Since Quarter 1 2010, employers have reported a positive overall hiring Outlook in each survey, according to seasonally adjusted data.

·        Many Sectors Gaining Momentum: Employers in nine of 13 industries surveyed nationally report the strongest overall Outlook within their sectors since Quarter 1 2009.

“Although employers are not signaling dramatic upswings in hiring plans, there does seem to be hiring energy developing based on sustained year-over-year growth,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup president of the Americas. “This is also the eleventh consecutive quarter with a single-digit Net Employment Outlook, indicating a level of caution not seen among employers in the last 30 years of data. This fact, along with many clouds still on the economic horizon, may explain the tepid labor market growth we have seen so far.”

Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed, 20 percent anticipate an increase in staff levels in their Quarter 3 2011 hiring plans, while 8 percent expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +12%. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook becomes +8%. Sixty-nine percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. The final 3 percent of employers indicate they are undecided about their hiring intentions. 

“Our data shows that one in five employers plan to add staff in the next three months, the highest ratio we’ve seen since the recovery started,” said Prising. “As more employers shift to hiring mode, we are starting to see talented job seekers receive multiple employment offers, and also negotiate for higher salaries. As hiring momentum slowly builds, the talent supply and demand challenges of the Human Age will impact hiring trends. Employers may want to hire, but they will struggle to find the right person, in the right place, which will bring a level of urgency to developing new recruiting and training strategies.”

Hiring Outlooks for Industry Sectors and Regions
Employers in 11 of the 13 industry sectors surveyed have a positive Outlook for Quarter 3 2011:

Leisure & Hospitality (+27%), Mining (+25%), Wholesale & Retail Trade (+20%), Professional & Business Services (+19%), Durable Goods Manufacturing (+17%), Nondurable Goods Manufacturing (+16%), Transportation & Utilities (+14%), Construction (+11%), Information (+11), Financial Activities (+11%) and Other Services (+7%).

Employers in two industry sectors have a slightly negative Outlook: Government (-1%) and Education & Health Services (-2%).

Employers in 10 industry sectors expect prospects to increase quarter-over-quarter, with employers in Wholesale & Retail Trade anticipating the largest increase quarter-over-quarter, with a gain of eight percentage points. Employers in the Other Services industry sector look to keep staff levels stable compared to three months ago at this time, while Government employers expect the hiring pace to slightly decrease and Educational Health Services employers anticipate a moderate decrease.

Employers in all four U.S. geographic regions surveyed anticipate a positive seasonally adjusted Outlook. The third quarter 2011 hiring Outlook is brightest in the Northeast, where a slight increase in hiring plans is expected compared to the second quarter of 2011 and to one year ago at this time. Compared to one year ago, a slight increase in employment prospects is also expected in the Midwest, South and West, although the three regions are all relatively stable quarter-over-quarter.

Pittsburgh Area Unemployment Rate Dips To 7%

HARRISBURG (APRIL 5) – In February, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was down two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.0 percent.

This was the third consecutive monthly decline. The Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate was below the Pennsylvania rate (8.0%) and the United States rate (8.9%). February marked the 37th straight month that the Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate has been below both the Pennsylvania and national rates. The Pittsburgh MSA unemployment rate was down 1.5 percentage points from February 2010, while the Pennsylvania and national rates were both down 0.8 percentage points over the same period.
 Seasonally adjusted

Pennsylvania jobs were up 23,700 in February to 5,674,100. Jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were up 23,300 (2.1%) from February 2010, and Pennsylvania jobs were up 106,800 (1.9%) from February 2010. 

Goods-producing jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA were down 2,500 to 136,100 in February. Declines were split between construction (-1,100) and manufacturing (-1,400), while mining and logging remained unchanged. Pittsburgh MSA goods-producing jobs were up 4,200 over the year, with all three goods-producing supersectors showing increases of at least 900 jobs since February 2010.

Service-providing jobs rose 3,400 in February to 976,000.

In the Pittsburgh MSA, seven out of eight service-providing supersectors have shown over-the-year gains. Education & health services (+5,800), leisure & hospitality (+4,500), and professional & business services (+4,200) have shown the greatest over-the-year increases. Information was the only supersector in the Pittsburgh MSA which showed an over-the-year decline, down 700 jobs since February 2010. Trade, transportation, & utilities showed a decline of 2,900 jobs with retail trade down 2,400 as stores continued to eliminate seasonal retail jobs.

Education & health services rose 2,300 in February as educational institutions returned from semester break. Similarly, state and local government also showed education-related increases, up 2,000, and 1,400 respectively. total nonfarm jobs in the Pittsburgh MSA rose for the fifth consecutive month, up 1,700 in February to 1,134,000.

Within the Pittsburgh MSA, Butler County (6.6%) had the lowest rate and Fayette County (9.3%) had the highest rate. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, unemployment rates ranged from 5.1 percent in Bradford County to 12.9 percent in Cameron County.

Pennsylvania Jobless Rate Falls To 8% In February

Friday, March 18, 2011
By Ann Belser, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state unemployment rate dropped to 8 percent in February from January's 8.3 percent rate, the state Department of Labor and Industry reported Thursday.


Pennsylvania also reported there were 30,000 more people working statewide in February than there were in January.


Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is now nearly a full percentage point below the rest of the nation, which logged 8.9 percent unemployment for the month.


Still, the news is actually not good for the long-term unemployed. This week the state announced that unemployment benefits would be reduced from 99 weeks to 93 weeks because, in January, the unemployment rate fell below 8.4 percent and that automatically triggered a reduction in the number of weeks that benefits would be paid.


The January unemployment rate was originally reported at 8.2 percent, but later revised to 8.3 percent. It was the average for November, December and January that triggered the reduction in federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11077/1132749-407.stm

Job Fair Success

90 Pittsburgh area companies and 1,400 job seekers attended the 10th annual Spring Pittsburgh Diversity employment Expo. A special thanks to all who attended and helped make this event so successful! A special thanks to the staff at Consol Energy Center!

Spring 2011 Pittsburgh Diversity Employment Education Expo March 15th - Over 85 Companies on Hand

The 10th annual Pittsburgh Diversity Employment Expo Job Fair series will begin this year on March 15th at Consol Energy Center from 10:00AM to 3:00PM. Interest is already high among local Pittsburgh employers and over 85 companies are expected to be on hand. P

Produced by the Pittsburgh office of EmploymentGuide.com and co-sponsored by The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh in association with AARP Foundation WorkSearch and the Allegheny County Department of Veteran's Affairs, featuring career opportunities from Consol Energy, Inc, this event is open to the general public and free for all job seekers.

Positions being offered will be in healthcare, nursing, oil/gas, manufacturing, banking/finance, sales, customer service, retail, military, hospitality, drivers, social services and much more.


Pre-registration for job seekers is not required but doing so will allow faster entrance at the door by-passing the registration table! Job Seekers may pre-register by clicking here.


Pittsburgh area employers are invited to find out more about how they can attend by emailing pittsburghjobs@gmail.com.


Here is the current company list which will be added to as we get closer to the event:


ADP Business Services


All-State Career School


Alorica (customer service and sales)


Aramark CONSOL Energy Center


Arc Human Services


Ariba/Freemarkets


Army National Guard


AVI Food Systems


Bethany Hospice


BNY/Mellon


Callos Companies (office/clerical, manufacturing and more)


Center For Family Planning Research (Magee Hospital)


Institute For Transfusion Medicine (Central Blood Bank)


Citizen Care, Inc


City of Pittsburgh


Combined Insurance


Comcast


Community College of Allegheny County


Community Options


Commute Info


Consol Energy, Inc (engineering and more)


Dish Network


Dollar Bank


Duncan Land + Energy (marcellus shale jobs)


Eaton Corp


ePeople Healthcare


Face 2 Face Sales Solutions


Family Behavioral Recources


Farmers Insurance Group


FedEx SmartPost


First Commonwealth Bank


First National Bank of PA


First Niagara


Five Star Quality Care


G4S Secure Solutions (security guards)


Gallagher Home Health Services


Garfield Jubilee Association


Gateway Health Plan


Geneva College


Glade Run Lutheran Services


GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance


Golden Living Centers


Goodwill


HCR/Manorcare


HHGregg Appliances and Electronics (new retail)


Home Depot


Jim Shorkey Family Auto Group (sales)


Kaplan Career Institute


Life Pittsburgh


Life's Work


Lifesteps, Inc.


Lowe's


Mainstay Life Services


Maxim Healthcare


Monumental Life Insurance


Moriarty Consultants, Inc (Home Healthcare)


NCO (call center)


Northwood Realty


Pittsburgh Job Corp Center


Pittsburgh Public Schools


Pittsburgh Tech. Institute-PTI


Premier Pan Company (manufacturing)


Prospector's Group (sales)


Prudential Financial


Prudential Preferred Realty


Quest Diagnostics


Rent a Center (sales, delivery drivers)


Sanford Brown


Sears Stores


South Hills Movers (drivers, helpers)


Southwood Psychiatric Hospital


Steel Town Promotions


StoneMor Partners (sales)


Strayer University


Transitional Services


U.S. Army R.O.T.C.


U.S. Navy


United Health Group (Claims Representative Associates)


United Insurance


UPMC


Valvoline Oil Change Centers


VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System


Verizon


Wyotech


YWCA