Unemployment rises in three midstate areas, falls in one

(Harrisburg) — Unemployment rose in three midstate areas in August, according to the latest numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Most areas remain under the statewide unemployment rate of 4.1 percent.

The Gettysburg metropolitan area had the lowest unemployment rate in the midstate in August at 3.0 percent, unchanged from July. Gettysburg also had the largest percentage gain in jobs of the state’s 18 metro areas over the past year, with 3.1 percent growth since last August.

The Reading area saw unemployment rise two-tenths of a percentage point from July to 4.2 percent, the highest in the midstate.

Unemployment also ticked up in the Lebanon and Harrisburg-Carlisle areas, to 3.9 and 3.6 percent, respectively. 

The Reading and Harrisburg regions both lost jobs in August, while Lebanon’s was essentially unchanged.

Only one area of the midstate saw a decline in its unemployment rate in August.

The Lancaster metro area’s rate fell one tenth of a percentage point to 3.3 percent, though it also lost about 900 jobs from July’s numbers.

The unemployment rate held steady in the Chambersburg-Waynesboro and York-Hanover areas, at 3.7 and 3.8 percent. 

Over the past year, unemployment fell in all seven midstate areas tracked by the state.