June jobless rates drop in Venango, Clarion counties

From staff reports

The state Department of Labor & Industry on Tuesday reported the tri-county area’s jobless rates in June, for the most part, are below the 13% statewide average reported earlier this month.

Venango County’s seasonably adjusted jobless rate was 11.4%, a decrease of 1% from May; and Clarion County’s rate was 10.2%, a decrease of 1.5% from the previous month.

At this time last year, Venango County’ rate was 4.6% and Clarion County’s rate was 4.5%.

Forest County’s unemployment rate in June was 13.6%, down three-tenths of a percentage point from May. The county’s jobless rate stood at 7.1% at this time last year.

Crawford County’s unemployment rate in June was 12.1%, down 1.3% from May; and Mercer County’s rate was 12.9%, also down 1.3% from the previous month.

At this time last year, Crawford County’s rate was 4.5% and Mercer County’s rate was 4.7%.

Earlier this month, the department said, the national rate fell 2.2 percentage points from May’s level to 11.1%. The state’s unemployment rate increased by 8.7 percentage points from June 2019, and the national rate was up 7.4 points over the year.