Pennsylvania
Regional unemployment data remained mostly steady in December
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry this week released regional unemployment data for December.
Greater Philadelphia
Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties are included in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area, or MSA, which includes the city of Philadelphia and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA held steady from November at 3.7% in December, Labor & Industry reported Tuesday. The MSA’s unemployment rate for December 2022 was 4%.
Broken down to the county level, the region experienced slight decreases in the unemployment rates in December from November.
Chester County’s unemployment rate was 2.7% in December, down one-tenth of a percentage point from November, and down three-tenths of a percentage point from December 2022.
Montgomery County’s rate for December was 2.8%, down one-tenth of a percentage point from November, and down two-tenths of a percentage point from December 2022.
Delaware County’s rate was 3.2% in December, down one-tenth of a percentage point from November, and down six-tenths of a percentage point from December 2022.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Philadelphia MSA increased 4,000 from November to 3,135,300 in December — its 19th consecutive record high.
Berks County
Berks, which is included in the Reading MSA, saw a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December of 3.7%, unchanged from November. December’s figure represented a decline of six-tenths of a percentage point from the same period in 2022, when the rate was 4.3%.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Reading MSA were unchanged from November at 180,200 in December.
Pennsylvania numbers
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point from November to 3.5% in December, according to Labor & Industry. The unemployment rate for Pennsylvania was eight-tenths of a percentage point below its December 2022 level of 4.3%.
Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs were up 6,200 over the month to a record high of 6,182,700. This was the 11th month in 2023 to set a record high, Labor & Industry said.
Around the state
Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Chester County had the second lowest December unemployment rate, tied with Adams and Centre counties.
Montgomery County had the fifth lowest unemployment rate for December, tied with Cumberland and Lancaster counties.
Delaware County was tied with Allegheny, Dauphin and Fulton counties for 14th lowest unemployment rate in December.
Berks County had the 36th lowest December unemployment rate, tied with Greene, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Warren and Wyoming counties.
Pennsylvania’s unemployment data for January will be released by the Department of Labor & Industry on March 8, while specific county and municipal data will be released on March 14.
Home care for aging parents, adults with disabilities in Philadelphia
Leaders at the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, which represents about 700 home care, home health and hospice agencies, say the industry’s workforce, about 290,000 people, is not growing at the same pace as the client population.
Low pay, moderate benefits and high burnout are making it increasingly hard to attract and retain workers, said association leaders, who estimate more than 112,000 direct care shifts go unfilled every month because of shortages.
“When you already can’t find somebody to do the work and then you’re not paying those folks well, those folks can go somewhere else and make more money,” Harris said. “Then you have more people who should be getting services, who need those services, who aren’t.”
Harris, who represents parts of South and West Philadelphia, recently met with families who depend on home care services, like the Walker family.
A home care worker comes by a couple times a week to support Barbara Walker’s adult son, Anthony, who has an intellectual and developmental disability.
In the past, Walker said she would often have to take off from work to stay home if Anthony was having a bad day or needed specialized services.
“It was hard. It was really hard,” she said. “It took a whole lot of time and patience.”
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage statewide.
The bill would raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $11 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2027. The minimum wage would then increase to $13 per hour in 2028 and finally $15 per hour in 2029.
Representatives voted 104-95 to pass House Bill 2189, which is sponsored by Rep. Jason Dawkins, the House Democratic Communications Office announced Tuesday.
If the bill passes, counties would have the option to implement the $15 per hour minimum wage sooner than 2029. The bill would also set the minimum wage for tipped employees at 60% of the statewide minimum wage.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage was last raised in 2009 when the federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25, House Democrats wrote in a press release.
The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
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“Research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not lead to job losses or business closures,” Dawkins said. “What it does lead to is financial security and better life outcomes for families relying on minimum wage work. To my colleagues in the Senate, I implore you to take up this bill and finally raise the wage in Pennsylvania.”
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — In an attempt to protect and preserve a healthy tree canopy for communities across the Commonwealth, a Pennsylvania lawmaker is taking action.
Rep. Abigail Salisbury (D-Allegheny) previously introduced House Bill 2161, which would require utility companies to plant a new tree for each one they cut down within two years of cutting it down.
“I introduced this bill after residents and environmental advocates in our district expressed concerns that trees were being removed entirely, instead of simply being pruned or trimmed,” Salisbury said. “Maintaining a healthy tree canopy is essential for communities because it reduces stormwater runoff and air pollution, provides shade that lowers energy costs, raises property values, and increases pedestrian traffic for local businesses, among other benefits.
On Monday, the Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee voted to advance the bill to the House for consideration, according to legislative records.
“Monday’s committee action moved us a step closer to making sure those benefits continue,” Salisbury added.
Electric utilities would be required to plant a new one in a location that the municipality chooses.
She said her bill would align with existing regulations that require damage caused by utility work to be repaired, primarily work that would require excavation or other projects that break into streets and sidewalks.
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