A slowdown in the national economy was felt locally as Mercer County's jobless rate jumped to 4.8 percent in November from 4.2 percent in October.

"The economic downturn has led to severe job cuts among goods producers which has decidedly reversed any strides made in the service-producing sector,'' said Angela Lenzi, manager of the Mercer County CareerLink, Sharon.

A breakdown shows three out of four jobs in Mercer County are in the service producing industries, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Still, the county was on par with the state jobless rate of 4.8 percent during November and was below the national 5.3 percent rate. In November 2000 the county's jobless rate was 5.1 percent.

Mercer County was tied for 11th place with Venango County among the state's 43 labor markets in terms of the best unemployment rate in November and was tied for 26th place with Venango and Washington counties among the state's 67 counties.

Figures show the county's civilian labor force was 58,800 in November compared to 58,500 in October while the number of employed was down 100 to stand at 56,000 over the same period.

Those unemployed totaled 2,800 in November, up by 400 from October.

Goods producing jobs fell by 500 to 12,100 in November. In spite of mild weather, construction and mining jobs declined by 200 as some construction projects are set for completion at varying times through the final quarter.

A national recession has contributed to sub-par performance of the goods producing sector where 1,100 jobs have been lost from last November, said the Labor Department. The factory sector has shouldered the entire decrease, as construction and mining jobs were steady over the year.

Diminished consumer demand has led to reduced orders, particularly for durable goods, which are products expected to last at least three years.

Service producing jobs grew by 600 to 38,900 in November where services was the top performer gaining 400 jobs. Job growth within services was concentrated in educational and health services. Since November 2000 service producers have added 500 jobs.

Forest County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 12.6 percent in November while Lebanon County had the lowest at 2.8 percent.

Surrounding counties' jobless rates were: