PA job growth/loss rank better than most

HARRISBURG — While suffering a net loss of jobs during the national economic crisis, Pennsylvania’s rate of employment change was better than 30 other states in 2008, state Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) reports, citing data released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. From the end of December 2007 until the final day of 2008, total non-farm jobs in Pennsylvania declined by 76,200, from about 5.808 million to 5.732 million. The change of minus-1.31 percent was the 20th best among the 50 states. Only eight states gained jobs in 2008, led by Wyoming’s 2.22 growth rate. Of the 42 that lost jobs, Rhode Island showed the largest rate of decline at minus-4.48 percent. A closer look at monthly job numbers illustrates just how much Pennsylvania has been impacted by the sudden downturn of the economy that began in late summer and fall. Of the 76,000-plus jobs lost during the year, 75,000 of them disappeared since July. “When you lose as many jobs as we did last year, you have to remember the human story behind the numbers. It is sad for families who are now without a breadwinner, single people who can’t make ends meet, or young people who must delay pursuing their career goals,” said Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia), the Senate Democratic Caucus Administrator and chair of the Labor and Industry Committee. “At the same time, we have softened the blow to the state’s economy. Ranking 20th in this severe recession is partly a credit to the strategic investments in job creation that we have made,” said Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny.)