Even amid a looming economic recession, Pennsylvania created more jobs than it lost and maintained an unemployment rate below the national average in 2007, which may be good news for graduating seniors.
The trend is one the state has maintained for 11 months, said Chuck Ardo, press secretary for Gov. Ed Rendell.
"Pennsylvania is fortunate to have a very strong and diversified economic foundation," Ardo said.
Since December 2006, almost 40,000 jobs in industries across the board -- including traditional smokestack industries to new high-tech pharmaceutical industries -- have been created. As of December 2007, the total number of jobs in the state was 5,817,800, Ardo said.
More jobs mean more opportunities for graduates seeking employment within the state, Ardo said.
"If the business climate here is good, then graduates will be able to look for jobs here," Ardo said. "That's our ultimate goal."
The job increase is the result of numerous initiatives Rendell has taken to stimulate job growth and attract new businesses to the state. The Redevelopment Capital Assistance Programs, for example, allow the state to fund projects that promise job growth, Ardo said.
"Governor Rendell saw a need to invest when times were a little better, and this is the outcome," he added.
That outcome, Ardo said, has resulted in the largest number of working Pennsylvanians in the commonwealth's history.
Despite record-high numbers, Rendell still has concerns over the current economic situation, Ardo said.
"The consensus is that we are either facing a recession or are already in one that is inevitably going to effect our economy locally," Ardo said.
One of Rendell's long-term strategies for stimulating the economy has been in the form of Keystone Innovation Zones (KIZs). KIZs focus on bringing colleges and universities together with start-up businesses and entrepreneurs to boost business development and job growth, said Sheri Collins, a technology investment consultant with the state.
"We're linking academic and economic parties together," Collins said.
Twenty-nine KIZs exist in Pennsylvania, with Penn State playing a part in numerous ones in Centre and Blair counties. The KIZs are based on the strong points of each university with which it is linked. In the case of Penn State, material sciences and information technology have been a primary focus, Collins said.
More than 2,360 jobs have been created from these zones, with 653 Pennsylvania graduates retained by KIZ companies since May 2004, Collins said.
"If there's a graduate who's looking at Silicon Valley or Pennsylvania for a new job, we want them to stay here," Collins said.
The issue, Penn State Career Services Director Jack Rayman said, is not the number of jobs, but the kind of jobs being created.
"Things in Pennsylvania are kind of flat right now," Rayman said. "The job growth is at levels that don't require a baccalaureate degree. They pay less, and the opportunity to advance or work is not desirable."
In a survey conducted from 2004 to 2005 of students graduating Penn State at all degree levels -- associate, bachelor, master and doctoral -- results found that students with master and doctoral degrees were leaving the state to secure jobs elsewhere, Rayman said.
"They're not leaving because they have anything against Pennsylvania," Rayman said. "They're leaving because they've found suitable employment elsewhere."
A majority of students graduating from Penn State express a desire to stay in state, Rayman said.
"The bottom line is that more jobs is not the main driver," Rayman said. "The opportunity structure is what's driving the migration, and students are following the opportunities."
