Jobless rate remains low in March

Region’s unemployment unchanged at 3.4%

The Pittsburgh area’s jobless rate was unchanged at 3.4% in March when compared to the previous month as non-farm employment rose, the state Department of Labor & Industry reported Tuesday.

Unemployment in the sevencounty metro area around Pittsburgh was 1.1 percentage points lower than a year ago, while the statewide rate was unchanged at 3.4% and the national rate edged down one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.8%. The region added 1,600 seasonally adjusted jobs in March, enlarging the total workforce to 1.17 million.

Over the past year, Western Pennsylvania added 13,800 jobs for a 1.2% increase while the number of statewide jobs were up by 1.3% since March 2023. Restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses added 3,000 jobs during the month, education and health services — the region’s economic engine — expanded by 2,100 jobs.

Statewide, Pennsylvania was among the states with statistically significant increases in employment between March and the same month a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the year, 78,200 jobs were added to the workforce for a gain of 1.3%.

Not included in the new unemployment numbers were some 1,000 layoffs announced last week by UPMC, which were cuts made throughout the system’s health insurance arm and 40-hospital system.

Butler County led the region with the lowest unemployment for the month at 2.8% followed by Westmoreland County, 2.9%; Allegheny and Washington counties, 3.1%; Beaver, 3.3%; Armstrong, 3.6%; and Fayette, 4%.