HispanicBusiness

The unemployment rate in the Pittsburgh region edged higher in December to 7.3 percent over November, as area employers chopped 3,500 job during the month, said a state report on Monday.

Jobs at employers in the seven-county Pittsburgh area slid to 1,176,500 last month from 1,180,000 in November, without adjusting for seasonal factors, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry.

December's jobless rate rose by one-tenth of percentage point from 7.2 percent in November. In addition, the number of unemployed people rose by 900 to 92,000 from 91,000 in November on a seasonally adjusted basis. That data comes from a separate survey of residents.

The unemployment rate, which also reflects seasonal adjustments, stood at 7.0 percent in December 2011.

The seven-county region covers Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Thomas Olson is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached a 412-320-7854 or at tolson@tribweb.com.

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