Wilkes-barre

Anna Lowery 
Feb. 3, 1994 
Anna M. Lowery, Of The Little Flower Manor, Wilkes-barre, Died Thursday In The 
Manor.

By DINAH WISENBERG BRIN; Associated Press Writer
 Saturday, February 05, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 8A QUICK WORDS: JOBLESS RATES DROP IN
COUNTY, STATE 





PHILADELPHIA -- Pennsylvania recorded a 6 percent jobless rate for January,
tying with Texas for the second-lowest figure among the 11 largest states. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Luzerne County reported a continued decrease in unemployment rates for
December, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Luzerne County's unadjusted unemployment rate dropped to 7.6 percent in
December, down from 8.6 percent in November. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Local figures are one month behind state and national unemployment rates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan area seasonably adjusted
unemployment rate also continued to drop, but not as significantly. The area's
unemployment rate for December 1993 was at 7.9 percent, down .4 percent from
November and 1.3 percent since December 1992. The unadjusted rate for the
metropolitan area was 7.2 percent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Comparisons to previous months and years were difficult, however, because
the department began using a new survey method last month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state Department of Labor and Industry reported that Pennsylvania
gained 4,700 jobs from December to January, with 4,100 new retail jobs offset
by major weather-related losses in the service industries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state also reported 10,500 new jobs since January 1993. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last month, 349,000 Pennsylvanians were out of work, while 5.45 million
were employed in civilian jobs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 North Carolina had the lowest jobless rate among the largest states, with 4
percent, while California had the highest, at 10.1 percent. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In those comparisons, Pennsylvania looks pretty good," said Alan M.
Paisner, regional commissioner for the Labor Department. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the state's relatively low jobless rate doesn't necessarily mean more
people are getting jobs, Paisner said. Even after seasonal adjustments, 90,000
fewer people were looking for jobs in the state in January than in December, a
bigger drop than that experience in other states, Paisner said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The decrease could be due to the severe winter weather that Pennsylvania
experienced in mid-January, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We don't really know after one month of a new survey why this is
happening," Paisner said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state found the figures encouraging. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The retail figure is significant because normally in January we see a
fall-off from the holiday season, and we saw an increase," said Scott Burkett
of the state Department of Labor and Industry. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There were 3,500 more Pennsylvanians employed in government jobs last
month, too, Burkett said. Manufacturing jobs were up 4,400. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But there were declines elsewhere. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We saw a loss of 4,400 in construction because of the bad weather,"
Burkett said. Services, such as dry-cleaning and home contractors, lost 4,600
positions, also blamed by Burkett on the weather. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mining jobs were down by 400. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Paisner said jobless surveys over the next few months will give researchers
a better idea of employment trends. The federal government's new method
includes a redesigned questionnaire and adjustments based on the 1990 census.

Jobless Rates Drop In County, State State's Relatively Low Unemployment Rate Doesn't Necessarily Mean More People Are Getting Jobs