On the recordFebruary 2, 2010
I will highlight one or two regions to give a sense of the gravity of the problem. In southeastern Pennsylvania, we have two major regions that have had very strong economies over time. The Philadelphia metropolitan region-- the city of Philadelphia--and the suburban counties have done well economically, but that number is going up. The total number of unemployed is over 164,000 Pennsylvanians in that corner of the State. That is about 5 counties--164,000 people. Just above that and north of that in the Lehigh Valley--the Allentown, Bethlehem region--they are at 9.8 percent, with some 40,700 people out of work. In my home area of northeastern Pennsylvania--north of the Lehigh Valley--we received reports today of the job market going up to 9.7 percent unemployment, the highest in 17 years. You could go across the State and hear the same story. So the numbers are going higher. Of course, that means the challenges, the misery, and the heartache for those who have lost their jobs are only rising.
