Northeastern Pennsylvania’s greatest asset for business recruitment is the quality of our workforce. The area’s 16 colleges and universities and strong K-12 system combine with an ingrained and nationally recognized work ethic to produce some of the best and brightest workers in America. Please read what just a few of our employers have to say about their great employees and then review the tables below to learn more about Northeast PA’s labor supply.
"The Hazleton plant has been the best-performing plant for at least the last 10 years. Soon, we are going to be passing out about 30 service awards to employees who have been here 20, 25, 30, 35 years."
- John Kittredge
Fabri-Kal
"The main reason for our success is our people. We have dedicated, hard-working people who give 100% all of the time. We have super employees."
- John Meir
Human Resources Manager
Bemis Hazleton plant
"It’s almost like the area (Northeast PA) defines what work ethic is. People come to work with an eagerness and willingness to get the job done."
- John Rhodes
Principal
Moran, Stahl & Boyer
"We have a great workforce. We have capable people who are passionate about achieving their goals. We are in a low-cost area yet we have people with the skills you might think you would find only in a high cost area. Everything in Northeast PA is just right. It’s the Goldilocks theory of doing business."
- Scott Meuser
Chairman & CEO
Pride Mobility Products Corporation, Pittston
"Every one of our employees has a great attitude. They feel that there is no job too big or too small. They’re all hard workers with the desire to learn and hone their skills so they can advance to the next level."
- George F. Hayden
Vice President, Operations
George J. Hayden, Inc., Hazleton
"We have a tremendous group of dedicated, hard working people who helped us pull together a triumphant year…and we’ve found this to be a very cost effective area to find intelligent, skilled people."
- Jessica Chessman
President
igourmet.com, Pittston
| Combined Unemployment & Employment Statistics for Luzerne (Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Pittston) and Lackawanna (Scranton) Counties |
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|
Year
|
Civilian Labor Force
|
Employment
|
Unemployment
|
Unemployment %
|
| 1999 | 260,200 | 245,000 | 15,200 | 5.8 |
| 2000 | 261,400 | 248,400 | 13,100 | 5.0 |
| 2001 | 262,600 | 248,200 | 14,500 | 5.5 |
| 2002 | 261,000 | 244,300 | 16,700 | 6.4 |
| 2003 | 260,200 | 243,000 | 17,200 | 6.6 |
| 2004 | 262,100 | 244,300 | 17,800 | 6.8 |
| 2005 | 264,800 | 249,400 | 15,400 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 265,800 | 251,300 | 14,500 | 5.5 |
| 2007 | 267,000 | 253,700 | 13,300 | 5.0 |
| 2008 | 269,000 | 252,700 | 16,300 | 6.1 |
| 2009 | 271,000 | 246,500 | 24,600 | 9.1 |
| 2010 | 267,900 | 242,600 | 25,300 | 9.4 |
| 2011 | 264,600 | 239,800 | 24,700 | 9.3 |
For information about wage rates, occupational breakdowns, unemployment rates, etc., please visit the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis Website at http://www.paworkstats.state.pa.us/
|
Comparison of Northeast PA Financial Services Sector Salaries to other Metro Areas
|
||||||||
|
U.S. Avg.
|
Northeast PA Avg.
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
New York, NY |
Boston, MA
|
Hartford, Ct
|
|||
|
$90,760
|
$90,200
|
$88,270
|
$111,530
|
$87,760
|
$91,050
|
||
|
$31,700
|
$30,300
|
$30,880
|
$34,600
|
$38,560
|
$34,420
|
||
|
Insurance Underwriter
|
$56,480
|
$59,000
|
$57,600
|
$72,320
|
$70,110
|
$63,280
|
||
|
Customer Service Rep.
|
$29,680
|
$25,900
|
$30,490
|
$36,890
|
$39,350
|
$35,280
|
||
|
Accountant
|
$58,020
|
$56,800
|
$65,530
|
$72,560
|
$61,780
|
$62,260
|
||
|
Securities & Financial Services Sales
|
$87,990
|
$71,700
|
$94,910
|
$114,180
|
$116,880
|
$113,180
|
||
|
Systems Analyst
|
$70,430
|
$63,900
|
$70,280
|
$78,240
|
$73,910
|
$71,830
|
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|
Computer Programmer
|
$67,400
|
$57,100
|
$63,460
|
$74,850
|
$82,160
|
$65,530
|
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Source: Moran, Stahl & Boyer 2006 Employer Survey
