PA Unemployment Spiked In March, More To Come

HARRISBURG, PA — Unemployment in Pennsylvania shot up in March, during the early weeks of the state-mandated coronavirus shutdown, according to figures released on Friday.

In March, the state's unemployment rate hit 6 percent, up 1.3 percent over February. That is Pennsylvania's highest unemployment rate since 2014. And it's probably going to keep rising.

The March unemployment and jobs surveys collected data from March 8-14 — before many non-essential businesses were ordered to shut down and stay-at-home orders were given — according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

According to Pennsylvania's Office of Unemployment Compensation, another 784,779 people filed for unemployment in the state between March 15 and the end of the month.

Pennsylvania's unemployment spike in early March outpaced the rest of the nation. Across the United States, March unemployment rose nine-tenths of a point, to 4.4 percent.

Pennsylvania's jobless rate in March was 1.9 percent higher than in the same month in 2019, while the nation as a whole was up six-tenths of a percentage point, year over year.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – also declined by 19,000 over the month from February’s record high level.

Those eligible to file a jobless claim include people whose employer has closed due to coronavirus, or whose hours have been cut due to the crisis. Additionally, if you have been told not to work because your employer feels you might get or spread coronavirus or if you have been told to quarantine, you can file a claim.

More information on how to file a claim and resources can be found here.