Hiring up, unemployment down to 4.3 percent in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania saw its unemployment rate drop for the second straight month, hitting a new post-recession low, as payrolls expanded slightly.

The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.3 percent in June. The national rate is 4 percent.

A survey of households found Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force contracted again, this time by 1,000, falling further below its 2012 record high as employment rose and unemployment shrank.

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A separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls rose by about 4,000 in June, reaching a new record high above 6 million.

The biggest gains were in the manufacturing and leisure and hospitality sectors. Construction and professional and business services shrank the most.

Friday’s figures are preliminary and could change.