Pa. jobless rate dips below 9 percent

Pennsylvania’s economy added nearly 16,000 thousand jobs last month as the number of  Pennsylvanians out of work dropped by 10,000, lowering the unemployment rate to 8.8 percent.The percentage has been above 9 since February.Gov. Ed Rendell said his administration can take partial credit for the dip, citing two reasons.”Number one, the incentives that we have invested into the economy.  Investments to promote economic growth clearly work, and they work here in Pennsylvania,” Rendell said Thursday. “And number two, the superb job that Secretary Veto’s department has done in training. Pennsylvania Careerlinks, etc.”Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate is now nearly a full point below the national 9.6 percent.The figure was at 5.8 percent when Rendell first took office. It dropped below 5 halfway through 2005, and stayed there until early 2008.