The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its preliminary employment report for November 2023, revealing that the state’s unemployment rate remained at the record low of 3.4%. This represents a full percentage point decrease from November 2022’s rate of 4.4%, and falls below the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.7%.

The civilian labor force in Pennsylvania, which covers all residents working or actively seeking employment, saw an increase of 17,000 over the course of the month. This includes both an increase in employment (+15,000) and a smaller rise in unemployment (+2,000).

The state’s total nonfarm jobs rose by 10,900 over the month, marking the highest ever recorded at 6,178,700. In the last three years, this metric has seen an increase 34 times, with 2023 already seeing 10 record-setting months.

Education and health services experienced the largest job growth, with an increase of 9,800 positions, a record high for the sector. Overall, over the course of the year, nonfarm jobs increased by 125,800 with gains in 10 of the 11 supersectors. Education & health services (+56,900) had the largest volume of over-the-year gain among these supersectors.