By Keith Gushard
Crawford County’s unemployment rate has jumped to its highest level in more than three years as more people have entered the work force but aren’t finding enough jobs available.
Lynette Tripoli of Cambridge Springs is one of those who has decided to re-enter the labor market.
“I’m opening my own business, but I need another job to supplement it,” said Tripoli, who was checking job openings at the Crawford County CareerLink Center on Chestnut Street on Monday.
The county’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent for August, up from July’s 5.3 percent, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
The 5.9 percent is the highest the county’s unemployment rate has been since July 2005 when it was 6.0 percent, according to Lauren Nimal, a state labor analyst.
“It’s a trend we’re seeing throughout the state in almost every county,” she said in regard to the rise in unemployment. “People are joining the work force, but joining the unemployment count — they’re looking for jobs, but not finding them.”
Tripoli, whose careers have included insurance agent and teaching, was using CareerLink’s free services to update her resume before applying for a couple of jobs.
“I’m confident I’ll find something,” she said.
While Crawford County’s overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose in August, the number of service providing jobs rose by 400 in the month while manufacturing numbers held steady.
Sevice producing jobs include transportation, utilities, trade, professional and business services, education and health, government and other services. They rose by a total of 400 to 23,500 in August — up from 23,100 in July.
The number of manufacturing jobs in the county remained unchanged in August at 8,000.
Many of the tooling and machining shops in the county supply equipment and parts to larger manufacturers who in turn make products for industries.
Crawford County has a heavier reliance on manufacturing than other parts of Pennsylvania and the country. More than 20 percent of the jobs in the county are related to manufacturing, compared to about 12 percent for the state and 11 percent nationally.
The county’s seasonally adjusted total labor force in August was 44,400, with 41,700 employed and 2,600 unemployed. (The numbers don’t total correctly due to rounding.) In July, the total labor force was 44,300, with 41,900 employed and 2,300 unemployed. (The numbers don’t total correctly due to rounding.)
August’s labor force numbers also are higher than August 2007 when the total labor force was 41,800, with 39,800 employed and 2,100 unemployed.
Crawford County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.9 percent for August was slightly higher than Pennsylvania’s rate of 5.8 percent, but it was better than the national rate of 6.1 percent for August.
The majority of unemployment rates for other counties in northwestern Pennsylvania showed increases in August. Only Mercer County saw a lower unemployment rate. It was one of only three of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties to see an improvement in August, said Nimal.
The rates, listed August, then July, were: Erie, 6.0, 5.4; Forest, 8.8, 7.9; Lawrence, 6.5 6.1; McKean, 7.0, 6.3; Mercer, 6.8. 7.3; Venango, 6.3, 5.6; and Warren, 5.5, 4.9.
Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
