Celebrate workers on Labor Day

Labor Day is something of an anomaly among major observances on the American holiday calendar.

There are national holidays that honor people who served in the military (Memorial Day and Veterans Day); that commemorate landmark events or historical figures (Independence Day, Presidents Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day); and some that are religious or quasi-religious in nature (Christmas and Thanksgiving). Then there’s New Year’s Day, which marks an annual milestone.

The occasion we celebrate today doesn’t have the pomp and ceremony associated with other holidays, nor is there typically a party, a big family gathering or a festive meal, unless you count the picnics and barbecues many enjoy on the long holiday weekend.

What makes Labor Day special is that it pays tribute to the vast majority of Americans: working people. It gives each of us an opportunity to quietly celebrate our own contributions to our nation.

It’s quite appropriate that most communities go about celebrating this holiday in a low-key way. What could be a more suitable way to show appreciation for our nation’s workers than to give them a long weekend and one last opportunity to enjoy summer before it starts giving way to fall?

The holiday has its roots in organized labor, which still claims the day as its own, but it is still going strong even as unions have lost much of their power and influence in the American workplace.

We suspect most people don’t stop and think about what this holiday commemorates or why it’s even on the calendar. While we lament this attitude when people treat Memorial Day as the launching pad for summer without regard to its true significance, on Labor Day it’s appropriate to just enjoy the time off and a chance to relax or play.

But we would like to use this occasion to remind our readers about the greatness of American workers, without whom none of our country’s accomplishments would be possible. Ours is a mighty and prosperous nation because of their hard work, determination and endless creativity.

And there’s continued good news on the labor front in our region, as the latest round of data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry shows a steady trend of low unemployment.

Unemployment in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, was 3.7% in July, just a tick above the record low of 3.6% a year ago.. Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the Philadelphia region increased by 5,900 from June to a record high of 3,127,000.

The Reading MSA, which includes all of Berks County, had a 3.5% unemployment rate in July, slightly above the 3.4% figure recorded a year earlier but still among the lowest rates in decades. Prior to last year the rate hadn’t been lower than 3.6% since 1989. Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in the area were at 181,500 in July, up slightly from the 179,800 recorded a year earlier.

Statewide, unemployment was at 3.4% in July, a bit higher than the record low of 3.2% reported in the summer of 2023.

Of course there’s always room for improvement. Continued strong employment is accompanied by persistent inflation that makes workers’ dollars not go nearly as far as any of us would prefer. Progress is being made in addressing inflation, but the best we can hope for in most cases is to slow the rate of price growth rather than seeing prices drop significantly.

On the local level, our communities need to continue efforts to attract more employers and higher-paying jobs, including making sure there’s training available to ensure we have people qualified to do today’s new jobs. Doing so will make our region that much more attractive to employers looking to get started, expand or relocate.

It’s in the interest of everyone to ensure that we have a robust, productive workforce celebrating Labor Day for generations to come.