(AP) Schuylkill County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped 0.8 of a percentage point in January to 5.4 percent, according to the latest figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Labor & Industry.

The seasonally adjusted figure is up 0.3 of a percentage point since last year.Meanwhile, the actual rate for January was 6.4 percent. It increased by 0.7 of a percentage point since December and 0.4 of a point over last year.The state Department of Labor & Industry removes the seasonal component from the statistics to provide the most valid month-to-month comparison.The department is also adjusting figures for 2016, Jeff Newman, industry and business analyst for the department, said Thursday."My only real comment is that the 2016 unemployment and employment information has not been benchmarked," he said. "Once that is completed, probably with release of March data, all of 2016 will smooth out somewhat. The state data has been benchmarked and that smoothed out considerably. So I wouldn't make too much of a 0.8 percent decrease in unemployment this month."Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was down 0.2 of a percentage point in January to 5.2 percent. The commonwealth's rate remained above that of the United States, which increased 0.1 of a percentage point in January to 4.8 percent. Over the year, the Pennsylvania unemployment rate declined by 0.1 of a percentage point since last year.Total nonfarm jobs in the county fell 1,100 over the month to 49,800. That figure has already been benchmarked, Newman said. It is a drop of 200 jobs over the year.Transportation, warehousing and utilities and retail trade each lost 200 jobs each over the month. State and local government, professional and business services, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality also lost 100 jobs each. Changes of 100 may be due to rounding.The surrounding areas had the following seasonally adjusted rates for December: Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, 4.8; Harrisburg and Carlisle, 4.0; Reading, 4.5; Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton, 5.4; and Bloomsburg, Berwick and Sunbury, 4.9 percent.