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State Unemployment Remains Just Above National Average

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in September, down a tenth of a percentage point from August, according to numbers released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor and Industry.

The state tracked two-tenths of a percentage point above the U.S. rate of 5.1 percent, unchanged since August.

Dillon Moore, data and performance manager at Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, said those numbers are on par with the growth they expect to see locally as jobs in health care, the arts and entertainment industries continue to climb. The board is still waiting for last month's report, Moore said.

Moore remains pragmatic about the low unemployment rate, both in Pittsburgh and across the nation.

“The long-term unemployed are potentially leaving the labor force and stopping looking for work,” he said.