Third and State

Just as Pennsylvania’s jobless rate stayed stuck at 7.4% last month, most communities across the commonwealth saw little change in their May unemployment rates, according to data released by the state Monday. 

As we noted when the state report came out, the continued loss of public-sector jobs continues to put a drag on the economy. Pennsylvania's public sector shed 22,700 jobs from December 2010 to December 2011, including some 14,000 jobs in public schools and universities. So far in 2012, the state has shed 5,400 public-sector jobs.

Here’s a quick roundup of regional unemployment news from across Pennsylvania:

• Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Pittsburgh region's jobless rate holds steady:

The unemployment rate in the seven-county Pittsburgh region held steady in May at 6.8 percent, the same rate recorded in March and April, the state Department of Labor and Industry reported today.
 

• Tom Zanki, The Express-Times — Lehigh Valley unemployment remains unchanged at 8.1 percent in May:

Local unemployment was 8.1 percent last month, according to the Department of Labor & Industry, the same as April.
 

• Spencer Soper, Allentown Morning Call — Lehigh Valley job growth slows:

The number of jobs in the Lehigh Valley has grown each month since January. But the pace of gains has slowed considerably, and May's gains represented one-third the annual growth rate seen in January.
 

• David Falchek, Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice — Area jobless rate at 8.7 percent for third straight month:

The jobless rate among residents of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area held steady at a seasonally adjusted 8.7 percent for the third consecutive month in May, according to data released today by the state Department of Labor and Industry.
 

• Jim Martin, Erie Times News — Erie's unemployment rate holds steady in May:

Erie County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in May at 7.1 percent
 

• Matthew McLaughlin, Carlisle Sentinel — May employment numbers stagnant:

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties, remained at 6.8 percent after rising in April.
 

• BCTV — About 2,400 more Berks County residents had jobs in May than did a year ago:

The unemployment rate in the county was 7.5 in May, the lowest it’s been since January 2009.
 

• Sean Adkins, York Daily Record — Local unemployment steady at 7.2 percent:

In May, York County's unemployment rate held steady at 7.2 percent — the same rate reported in March and April, according to data reported today by Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.
 

• The Chambersburg Public Opinion — Unemployment steady in area:

Chambersburg area's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 6.2 percent for a second consecutive month, according to the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.
 

• Bernie Hornick, The Tribune-Democrat — Local unemployment rate unchanged:

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Cambria County has been stuck at 8.2 percent for four months.
 

• The Herald-Mail — Franklin County jobless rate holds steady, Fulton County drops:

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Franklin County, Pa., held steady at 6.2 percent from April to May, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.