WLVR interviewed Ahmed Rahman, associate professor of economics, for the article “Local economist is cautiously optimistic about new unemployment data.”
Newly released numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor show the state’s unemployment rate fell to 6.6% in July, WLVR reports.
Rahman says the dates are a positive sign but the pandemic is not over yet.
“The numbers point to both good and bad news. It’s nice to see that many jobs are returning to leisure and hospitality because they have survived the storm, at least for now,” he said. “But the workforce has shrunk. People have stopped looking for work.”
Rahman is keeping an eye on the Delta variant and how the pandemic could continue to affect the economy.
“Obviously, Delta is the big fold here,” he said. “But as long as that stays a crease, I think things should look pretty good.”
Rahman adds that the leisure and hospitality industries are most vulnerable to job losses when the economy has to shut down again.
The full story can be read on the WLVR website.
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