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Pennsylvania Payrolls Hit New Record, As Labor Pool Shrinks

Jake Savitz
/
90.5 WESA

Pennsylvania's payrolls crept to another record high in April, while the unemployment rate inched down to a post-recession low as the labor pool shrank.

The state Department of Labor and Industry says the commonwealth's unemployment rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.7 percent in April.

The national rate is 3.9 percent.

A survey of households found Pennsylvania's civilian labor force contracted by 16,000, falling further below its 2012 record high as employment and unemployment dropped.

A separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls rose by about 9,000 in April, reaching a record high a bit farther above six million.

The biggest gains were in professional and business services and education and health services.

Friday's figures are preliminary and could change.

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