Job Growth Slowly Rises

More jobs were added to payrolls in the Pittsburgh region in June, but not at the hot pace of the rest of the nation.

The seven-county Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area added 9,800 jobs from June 2018 and June 2019—a 0.9 percent year-over-year increase, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That rate of growth falls below the 1.6 percent average among Pittsburgh Today’s benchmark regions during the same period.

June’s job growth dipped under the 1.1 percent annual rate of job growth the region experienced in 2018.

Jobs in Seattle grew by 3.4 percent, the highest rate among the benchmark regions. Detroit posted the lowest job growth in June at .34 percent.

Big gainers

June was a strong month for hiring in the information sector—a sector that includes many jobs in technology—bringing 4.1 percent more jobs to the region since last year. Employers in the mining, logging and construction sector continued a strong year of hiring in June, boosting employment by 4.1 percent.

Other sectors adding jobs in June included leisure and hospitality, which boosted employment by 4.2 percent; wholesale trade, which added 1.2 percent more jobs; professional and business services which added 1.9 percent more jobs, and education and health services, which saw a 0.7 percent increase in jobs.

Retail losses mount

Hiring in retail hasn’t fared as well. The sector lost 3.4 percent of the jobs reported a year ago in the Pittsburgh region—the largest loss among the benchmarks. Manufacturing shed 2.5 percent of jobs in June, after showing growth in 2018. Other sectors that posted year-over-year job losses last month include financial services, which dropped .7 percent, trade, transportation and utilities, which fell 1.1 percent and government jobs declined by .4 percent.

June’s mild job growth isn’t a new trend for the region. The region’s five-year job growth of 2.3 percent ranks the lowest among the Pittsburgh Today benchmark regions. Austin experienced the highest growth adding 18.74 percent more jobs over five years.