Schuylkill County ended 2015 with another significant drop in its unemployment rate.
The seasonally adjusted figured fell 0.6 of a percentage point to 5.1 percent for December, according to the latest figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. The previous month’s rate of 5.7 percent was the lowest since May 2008. The highest rate during the recession was 11.5 percent in February 2010.
“The Pottsville micropolitan statistical area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped 0.6 of a percentage point in December to 5.1 percent. That’s the lowest rate since November, 2007,” Jeff Newman, industry and business analyst, said Tuesday. “It’s the third straight month that the rate has dropped. The rate has dropped 1.4 percentage points since May 2015 when it was 6.5 percent.”
While the seasonally adjusted labor force for the county stayed the same over the month at 69,500, the number of unemployed dropped 400 to 3,600 and employment increased 400 to 65,900.
Since last year, the seasonally adjusted labor force increased 400 while employment increased 1,800 and unemployment dropped 400. The December 2014 unemployment rate was 5.9 percent.
Total nonfarm jobs in the county stayed the same over the month at 52,400, but improved by 1,000 since December 2014. Transportation, warehousing and utilities increased by 400 over the year and professional and business services and local government also both improved by 200. Other changes were by 100 and may be due to rounding.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment for Pennsylvania dropped 0.2 of a point to 4.8 percent in November, while the national rate stayed at 5.0 percent.
Schuylkill County was tied with Bradford and Mercer counties for the 38th lowest unemployment rate among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Newman said. Chester County had the lowest at 3.3 percent while Cameron County had the highest at 6.7 percent.
The surrounding areas had the following seasonally adjusted rates for November: Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, 4.6; Harrisburg and Carlisle, 3.6; Reading, 4.2; Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton, 5.1; and Bloomsburg, Berwick and Sunbury, 4.5 percent.