Pittsburgh Unemployment Level Reaches Fourteen-Year High

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry reports that the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes seven counties, has seen a rise in the unemployment rate for the third consecutive month. The department's statistics show that unemployment through the end of December peaked at 6.3 percent, the first time in five years the rate has exceeded 6 percent, and the highest rate since April 1995. However, that rate remains below the state average of 6.7 percent and the national rate of 7.2 percent. Lauren Nimal, a department industry and business analyst, says she predicts that the unemployment situation in Pittsburgh will likely worsen before it improves.Over the past year, 65 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties saw an increase in unemployment.