Pennsylvania's unemployment rate dropped in November, but is now more than a full point above the national rate as hiring remained stagnant.
The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania's jobless rate shrank by one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.7 percent in November. That's one of the nation's highest rates. It is a full percentage point above Pennsylvania's rate a year ago while the national rate was at a nine-year-low of 4.6 percent in November.
Pennsylvania's rate hasn't lagged the national rate by a bigger gap since at least 1985.
A survey of employers found that seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls rose by just 3,000 in November, remaining slightly below a record high of 5.9 million set earlier this year.
Friday's figures are preliminary and could change.
