Pennsylvania jobless rate creeps up, payrolls down in January

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania's unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent in January as payrolls crept lower.

The state Department of Labor and Industry said March 6 that the seasonally adjusted rate in January was 5.1 percent. The department had initially put December's rate at 4.8 percent, a post-recession low, but it has since revised it higher to 5 percent.

The U.S. rate was 5.5 percent in February.

In a survey of households, the department estimates that the labor force, or the number of people working or looking for work, grew by 13,000. That's below its 2012 peak. Employment rose by 10,000, climbing toward 6.1 million, while unemployment grew by 3,000 to 322,000.

A separate survey of employers found non-farm payrolls fell by about 3,500. At just above 5.8 million, payrolls remain below pre-recession levels.