The unemployment in the Erie area was 4.1 percent in March. That's down from 4.2 percent in February. A year ago, the jobless rate in Erie was 5.2 percent. The March figures compare are three-tenths of a percentage point higher than the Pennsylvania rate of 3.8 percent, and three tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 4.4 percent. The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis reports that small movements in goods producing job counts netted no change in March. Springtime gains in construction countered reductions in manufacturing employment cuased by a recent layoff at Bush Industries. Service provider added 300 jobs to their payrolls in March with most occurring in private industry. Leisure and hospitality experienced typical seasonal gains with the rest of the industry movements being small in nature. State officials say from last March, establishment employment advanced by 800 jobs locally, making this the sixth consecutive month that jobs were above the coresponding year-ago level. Education and health services added 700 jobs, outperforming other industries.
