HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania employers trimmed payrolls again in November, nearly wiping out a jobs gain reported the previous month.

The state Department of Labor and Industry estimated Thursday that Pennsylvania employers cut more than 10,000 jobs in November as the effects of a recession continues to make jobs scarce. Pennsylvania's nonfarm payroll stands at just above 5.6 million jobs, the same level as in 2003. The state's unemployment rate, at 8.9 percent in October, actually fell to 8.5 percent in November, well below the national rate of 10 percent. However, the department estimates 12,000 fewer people were actually part of the state's active labor force.