Pennsylvania jobless rate hits 18-year low; payrolls slip

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate hit a nearly two-decade low in August, even as payrolls slipped below July’s record high.

The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1 percent in August, the lowest point since 2000.

The national rate is 3.9 percent.

A survey of households found Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force grew by 9,000, as employment rose and unemployment shrank.

A separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted nonfarm payrolls shrank by about 4,900 in August, remaining just above 6 million. It had reached a record high in July.

The biggest gainers were education and health services and the trade, transportation and utilities sectors, while nearly every other sector shrank.

Friday’s figures are preliminary and could change.