Pennsylvania Overview

Employment in Pennsylvania is dominated by the education/health services sector as well as by the manufacturing centers located in some of the state’s more rural areas. The Pennsylvania job market was relatively protected during the recession and is strengthening, creating job opportunities for the state’s 6.4 million workers.

Pennsylvania Job Opportunities

The Keystone State is home to many well-known higher education institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Penn State. Employing more than 20 percent of the state’s workforce, the education/health services sector dominates employment in Pennsylvania. The trade, transportation and utilities sector is also a key hiring industry. These top two sectors are growing fast, which is encouraging for the state’s economy. As in other states, state and federal government employment has been in decline for more than a year, while construction hiring is recovering.

Pennsylvania Employment Trends

The Pennsylvania job market has remained strong relative to the nation’s, though the economy still experienced a hiring dip during the recession. This trend is reflected in the state’s online hiring, which improved steadily in the past year and is currently solid. Pennsylvania jobs declined from the end of 2008 to mid-2010, but have shown steady growth since then. The unemployment rate, which peaked at 8.7 percent in early 2010, had fallen to 7.6 percent by June 2012.

From Q2 2012 to Q2 2013, jobs in Pennsylvania are expected to increase 1.4 percent, slightly more than 1.3 percent increase expected in the nation’s job supply during that time, according to Moody’s Analytics.