SUNBURY—The US unemployment rate in the month of May dropped from 4.4% to 4.3%.
There was a roundtable discussion this morning on On The Mark about the U.S. jobless rates and how these numbers match up against our local unemployment numbers.
Bob Garrett, president and CEO of the Greater Susquehanna Chamber of Commerce says he hasn’t seen unemployment rate this low since the early 2000’s, “4.3 percent that’s way low unemployment I haven’t seen that since pre-9-1-1, pre-2001 you are almost back to the dot-com boom at 4.3 percent.”
John Uehling, chair of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce says with the growing infrastructure in the area he is optimistic about the economic future in the Valley, “There is anticipation and excitement around the through way and the types of business that will bring to Snyder County and Selinsgrove so I am seeing a little bit more optimism.”
Billy Allred, Union Township supervisor is actually not optimistic about the national economy saying, “What bubble are we in now is kind of the question. I mean I can understand, and I see some optimism locally, but from a national perspective the centralization of power that’s happened with the Federal Reserve, I think has been overall bad for our economy. I continue to shutter to think what that’s going to look like if things continue the way they have been.”
Hourly earnings have risen 2.5 percent over the past year. The food service and heath care industries posted solid job gains, while employee growth halted in manufacturing, retail, and the government. (Sarah Benek)
