According to department of labor & industry, the Pittsburgh area unemployment rate has climbed more steeply in the 12 months that ended in February 2009 than it had since the collapse of the steel industry in 1983. From March 2008 through February 2009, the region has seen its unemployment rate increase by 2.3 percentage points, which the state department of labor & industry said was the highest YoY increase in the last quarter century.

The jobless report from the department showed that in the 12 months ended February 28th 2009, the 7 counties that make up the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area lost a seasonally adjusted total of 20,200 jobs. In the 6 months through February, the region lost 23,100 jobs, which means job creation over the early part of the 12 months through February is being eroded.

The 7 county region, as a whole, recorded a 6.9% unemployment rate for February 2009, while county jobless rates ranged from 6.4% for Allegheny to 9% in Armstrong. Three counties exceeded the state's 7.5% unemployment rate. Those were Armstrong, as well as Fayette County, with 8.4% unemployment and Beaver County, with 7.7% unemployment. Westmoreland County was right in line with the state rate. Washington County recorded a 7.1% unemployment rate in February, while Butler County's rate was 6.7%. The national unemployment rate for February was 8.1%.

According to state figures, the number of people in the region employed to produce goods is now down the lowest level since the state started tracking those jobs in 1990. There are now only 145,600 jobs in the sector known as goods producing, which includes manufacturing durable and nondurable goods, construction, mining and logging. In that sector, manufacturing saw the biggest losses in February, with 3,300 jobs eliminated and 6,300 jobs lost over the 12 months through February.

Overall, service jobs also were down from February 2008, with a loss of 12,200 jobs. That number would have been greater if education and health services, which added 4,600 jobs over the 12 months, were removed from the category. In the 12 months, 5,300 jobs were eliminated in restaurants, bars and hotels in the region.

(Sourced from www.post-gazette.com)