The unemployment rate dropped for the Williamsport metropolitan statistical area 0.6 of a percentage point over the last month.
The rate fell to 7.7 percent, which is the first time it is below 8 percent since June, the state Department of Labor and Industry said. October was the fifth month of job growth in the past year and the largest increase since May 2010.
Jason Fink, executive vice president of the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, said the success is a result of the companies associated with the Marcellus Shale development hiring, as well as the impact of Kohl's, which opened in late September.
Fink said that based on what he has heard from gas industry representatives, he believes the unemployment rate will continue to drop because many companies plan to continue hiring into next year and new companies that are locating to the area.
Some stores hire additional help for the holiday season, which Fink also accounts for the unemployment rate drop.
"With regards to the retail, I would think retail part-time jobs will drop off, but I wouldn't think it would be that significant," he said. "At least, that's we're hearing from the industry. They want to keep folks on as part-time."
Nationwide, Fink said Black Friday sales were better than previous years. He spoke with the Lycoming Mall manager Monday about the local sales.
"There's an increase in foot traffic at the mall," he said.
While it still is early to determine the overall sales, Fink said it looks positive, so far.
"(The mall manager partly attributes it) to the Marcellus folks moving into the area," Fink said. "He said they're seeing equal to or better than the national trend. The national trend is very strong."
To fully determine how the economy and the job growth has affected local sales, Fink said monitoring will continue through December.
Even with retail growing, Fink said it is not the only contribution to the unemployment rate drop.
"In looking at the unemployment rate, retail is only a small component," he said. "From that aspect, we're going to hopefully continue the trend of hiring and drive down the unemployment rate."
According to the Department of Labor and Industry, retail hirings reached 200 in the Williamsport area, which increased the number of retail jobs to 6,700. In October, that pushed retail above its previous year's level for the first time since October 2008.
Fink said his task to help lower unemployment is to find businesses to move into the area.
"We work with businesses, trying to get them established in the marketplace," he said. "We really respond to get companies here. They create jobs."
The chamber employees never work toward any certain numerical goal for unemployment, but just strive to do whatever they can to create jobs.
"We try to take advantage of every opportunity out there," Fink said. "We try to offset closings or any layoffs we have to deal with. We want to see the unemployment rate low, so we're all prospering here in the marketplace."
Among the 14 metropolitan statistical areas in the state, unemployment rates ranged from 5.3 percent in the State College area to 9.2 percent in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area. The Williamsport area had the eighth lowest rate.
Lycoming County's rate of 7.7 percent was tied with Crawford and Susquehanna counties for the 32nd lowest rate among the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. County unemployment rates ranged from 5.3 percent in Centre County to 11.2 percent in Cameron County.
