Remember all the hoopla by Gov. Ed Rendell when the Pennsylvania unemployment rate dropped a little last month?

Don't expect Rendell to be found today as the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announces that unemployment in Pennsylvania has risen to 8.9 percent in December. That's the state's highest unemployment level in 25 years.

Pennsylvania employers shed more than 8,100 jobs in December. Pennsylvania has lost 150,300 jobs since December 2008.

From a Department of Labor press release:

Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted civilian labor force -- the number of people working or looking for work -- decreased by 19,000 in December to 6,310,000. Resident employment dropped 37,000 in December, while unemployment was up 19,000. The Pennsylvania labor force was down 131,000 from December 2008.

Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent in December, up four-tenths of a percentage point from November. The state rate remained below the national unemployment rate, which remained at 10 percent in December.

Pennsylvania's Employment Situation: December 2009