Kathy Dahlkemper for Congress

Six of the seven counties comprising the 3rd Congressional District of Pennsylvania, represented by Kathy Dahlkemper, saw their unemployment rates decrease in June, with one county seeing no change in unemployment. No county in the seven-county district had an increase in unemployment in June 2010.

“The needle is moving in the right direction—however slowly, unemployment is decreasing in Western Pennsylvania. We still have a lot of work to do. It took nearly a decade of bad economic policy to put us into this recession; it’s going to take some time to get us out. But these new employment figures show us that we are on the path to recovery,” said Rep. Dahlkemper.

The new data coincides with the release of a new report from leading economists Alan Blinder, a Princeton professor and former vice chairman of the Fed, and Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, concluding that without the action taken in Washington in recent years to stabilize the economy, the United States would be facing a severe depression.

Without the combined effect of major economic initiatives, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act supported by Rep. Dahlkemper, the U.S. would have 8.5 million fewer jobs, gross domestic product (GDP) would be 6.5 percent lower, and the economy would be experiencing deflation, according to Blinder and Zandi.

Rep. Dahlkemper said, “We must continue to help small businesses grow and give employers confidence to hire new people. I’m encouraged by what I’ve already heard from businesses like DonJon Shipbuilding and Repair in Erie, which has more than quadrupled their employee base from last year. In Butler, AMS Electronics told me they are rehiring after being forced to cut staff last year. This is what economic recovery looks like—small businesses growing and putting people back to work. I will continue to work to help more businesses see success, especially in Mercer County, where unemployment is still far too high.”

Rep. Dahlkemper is working with local organizations in Mercer County, such as PA CareerLink and the Penn-Northwest Development Corporation, to support economic development and job growth. Regional initiatives the Congresswoman supports, including the TechBelt Initiative and the Erie Inland Port project, will offer opportunities for growth in Mercer County. More than $53 million in federal funds have been awarded to Mercer County through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.