The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area remained at 5% in February — a seven-tenths of a percentage point increase from February 2024 — according to data from the state Department of Labor & Industry.
Historical labor force revisions to the not seasonally adjusted data are expected to be completed by the release of March data in late April, the department said in a news release.
The local seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at a record low 3.9% for seven months from February through September before ticking up to 4% in October and November, and 4.1% in December, according to state data.
“Because of the unavailability of the seasonally adjusted numbers at the moment, you lose comparability month over month,” said Steven Zellers, a state industry and business analyst. “The not seasonally adjusted rate is higher, but that’s typical when comparing not seasonal to seasonal adjusted numbers.”
The not seasonally adjusted rate includes natural fluctuations and seasonal variations in employment that occur throughout the year.
“As evidenced by all the other numbers available — both seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted — in comparison to the state and history, the region is doing very well,” Zellers said.
The statewide unemployment rate was 4.2% in February, up two-tenths of a percentage point over the year and the nationwide rate was 4.5%, up three-tenths of a percentage point from last February.
The number of seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the local metro area decreased by 200 in February from a record high 269,900 in January, Zellers said. Additionally, the number of total nonfarm jobs increased by 2,900 — or 1.1% — over the year, matching the statewide rate of change, according to state data.
Zellers noted a 1.7% increase in jobs over the year in the professional and business services sector bodes well for the region.
“It’s a good bellwether for how good all the other industrial sectors are doing, because with professional and business services all their clients are other businesses,” he said. “It’s one of the first sectors to go down when things are going bad and when it’s growing, all the other sectors are doing well.”