Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · October 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA — October 2026
Scranton's local unemployment climbs as Pennsylvania's falls.
Hazleton unemployment rose to 7.5% and Wilkes-Barre to 6.2% even as Pennsylvania's statewide rate fell to a three-year low of 3.6%, while Benefits Manager pay in the metro climbed to $121,500.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Hazleton unemployment rate: 7.5% — Up from 6.1% a year earlier
- Pennsylvania unemployment rate: 3.6% — Lowest since Sept. 2023; metro diverges sharply
- Metro average wage: $28.24/hr — $58,742 annually as of May 2026
- Benefits Manager advertised pay, metro: $121,500 — vs. $118,618 national median
Key takeaways
Metro unemployment is diverging from the state story.
Pennsylvania's 3.6% rate masks meaningfully higher and rising joblessness in Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton, up to 6.2% and 7.5% respectively over the past year. Recruitment difficulty and candidate supply will differ by county within this single MSA and by role.
Benefits Manager pay is outrunning the national market.
Metro median advertised pay of $121,500 sits above the $118,618 national figure, with significant local growth versus moderate growth nationally. This looks like employers pricing in anticipated benefit cost increases and compliance complexity ahead of a one-time vacancy.
Payroll Specialist demand signals compliance workload.
Local advertised pay of $65,000 is up significantly and now exceeds the $61,103 national median. Rising compliance obligations — from contractor reclassification to multi-state pay transparency rules — are plausible drivers worth weighing against transactional payroll volume.
Transportation-heavy occupational mix leaves this metro exposed to logistics cycles.
Transportation and material moving accounts for 15.4% of metro employment, the largest single occupational category. Any national freight or logistics slowdown would hit this labor market disproportionately compared to more diversified peer metros.
Median advertised pay by role — Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst * | $70,654 | $95,484 | $111,191 | Stable | $100,798 |
| HR Business Partner | $56,500 | $77,343 | $93,000 | Moderate increase | $83,900 |
| Benefits Manager * | $78,064 | $121,500 | $125,604 | Significant increase | $118,618 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $77,809 | $97,578 | $109,359 | Moderate increase | $95,000 |
| HR Coordinator | $43,240 | $49,993 | $53,161 | Moderate increase | $50,460 |
| Recruiter | $43,680 | $56,545 | $60,000 | Stable | $67,234 |
| Payroll Specialist | $50,223 | $65,000 | $72,795 | Significant increase | $61,103 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre's labor market shows a widening gap between resilience and strain: Luzerne and Lackawanna counties posted modest year-over-year employment growth in early 2026, yet unemployment across the metro's core cities climbed meaningfully over the trailing twelve months, with Hazleton rising from 6.1% to 7.5% and Wilkes-Barre from 5.1% to 6.2%. Pennsylvania's statewide unemployment rate fell to a three-year low of 3.6% in September, which makes the Scranton metro's divergent, higher local rates a signal worth isolating and tracking separately from the state narrative.
What it means
Metro-level softening alongside statewide tightness means local employers can't rely on Pennsylvania headlines to gauge their own hiring leverage — candidate availability likely varies sharply by county within this single MSA. Benefits Manager pay has moved up significantly locally ($121,500 median, outpacing the $118,618 national figure), suggesting employers are already repricing this role ahead of anticipated benefit cost increases, getting ahead of renewal cycles. Consider pulling county-level unemployment and job ad volume separately for Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Hazleton labor sheds before finalizing hiring timelines for Q1 2027 roles.
Looking ahead
Data gap to monitor: October 2026 metro-specific unemployment figures from BLS were not yet available at publication; the most recent confirmed reading is July's 4.7%. Expect a release in mid-November that should clarify whether the Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton deterioration trend continued or stabilized.
Emerging pressure point: Pennsylvania WARN filings show healthcare and transportation among the sectors with the most notices statewide, both significant employment categories in this metro. Watch whether local healthcare or logistics employers file notices that could shift candidate supply into adjacent sectors.
Compliance deadline: Pennsylvania's CROWN Act takes effect January 26, requiring updated anti-discrimination policy language before year-end. HR teams should build this into Q4 handbook and training revision cycles alongside federal contractor classification changes.
Worth watching: Statewide minimum wage legislation remains stalled at $7.25, but Democratic proposals targeting $11 by 2027 continue to resurface. Compensation structures built on the federal floor carry renewed legislative risk heading into 2027 budget planning.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry — Pennsylvania unemployment fell to 3.6% in September 2026, lowest since 2023
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — City-level unemployment trends for Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton June 2025-May 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Scranton-Wilkes-Barre MSA unemployment rate was 4.7% in July 2026
- Pennsylvania General Assembly — Pennsylvania CROWN Act takes effect January 26, 2027
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Transportation and material moving is 15.4% of metro employment
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry — Pennsylvania WARN filings concentrated in healthcare, transportation, manufacturing
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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