Quirky employment numbers for the region in November bode well even though Butler County's jobless rate crept up.

Lauren Riegel, an analyst for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry's Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, said the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area saw simultaneous increases to both its unemployment rate and employment rate in November. Riegel's center released November's figures this week.

“What the numbers seem to be indicating here is that people are entering the labor force,” Riegel said. “In this case, an increase in the unemployment rate may actually be a good thing.”

Both metrics rising at once suggests the people who previously weren't looking for a job now are, Riegel said. The center doesn't have a clear indicator of who exactly is entering the job market, but she said their staff sees it as a good indicator.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Sunday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print for the full report.