That doesn’t mean everyone who wants a job has one.
Pennsylvanians continued to file notices of unemployment in recent weeks, which is the step they must take in order to get unemployment compensation. The state Dept. of Labor and Industry tracks the number of those applications weekly. In Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania counties, the average number of weekly claims has been inching up from October to January, according to state data. Statewide, average weekly initial unemployment claims jumped from November to December, and stayed steady from December to January.A spokesperson for the state Dept. of Labor and Industry said an uptick in unemployment initial claims is typical in December and January because of seasonal changes.