Berks County, PA jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Berks County’s unemployment rate is 3.4%. Employers filed 1 layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 37 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Berks County economy

3.4%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.6% the month before
222,340
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
429,989
people in Berks County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$77,684
median household income
Source: Census ACS
35%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Berks County ranks

Where Berks County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#11Best county job markets for job seekers in the Northeast65 / 100 · of 51
#16Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Northeast54 / 100 · of 51
#17Best county job markets for job seekers in the Mid-Atlantic60 / 100 · of 64
#21Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in the Northeast4 per 100 · of 51

Berks County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 3.3% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 2.7% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 3.4%, down 1.2 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+2,304 jobs), transportation & warehousing (+1,517 jobs)
Sectors losing the most jobs: finance & insurance (−618 jobs)

Learn and get funded in Berks County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Berks County layoffs

1
Layoff notices, last 12 months
100
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer

Layoff notices filed in Berks County, newest first
Notice date	Employer	City or county	Workers	Type	Source
Effective Mar 15, 2026	ALPEK Polyester USA, LLC	Berks	100	Closure	State record

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Berks County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

BAYADA Home Health Care3 open roles
Amazon2 open roles
Fleetwood Bank2 open roles
Meet Greater Reading2 open roles
OnTrac2 open roles
Tompkins Bank & Trust2 open roles
Top Echelon Network (recruiter member boards)2 open roles
UGI2 open roles
84 Lumber1 open role
Berg Construction1 open role

Colleges in Berks County

Colleges in Berks County
College	City	Type	Students
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania	Kutztown	Public 4-year	5,000–9,999
Albright College	Reading	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Alvernia University	Reading	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks	Reading	Public 4-year	1,000–4,999

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Berks County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Pennsylvania? How to file for unemployment in Pennsylvania (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

Berks County Workforce Development Board
Berks

PA CareerLink - Berks County
Reading · Comprehensive · 610-988-1300
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 8:00 - 4:30; Wed 10:00-4:30

Cities in Berks County

Other Pennsylvania counties

All of Pennsylvania

Laid off or looking for work in Berks County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Pennsylvania’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Pennsylvania unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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