Despite the failing economy and possible national recession, the state of Pennsylvania is holding onto its bearings and taking measures to create new Pennsylvania jobs.

In June 2008, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, the state’s job count rose by 800 employees, while the state’s unemployment rate remained at 5.2 percent. Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate increased to 5.5 percent and the country lost more jobs.

“The fact that Pennsylvania continues to show job growth during such economically challenging times is good news for our workers and businesses,” said Governor Edward G. Rendell. “In the past three months, we’ve added 6,800 new jobs to our employer’s payrolls while the nation has lost 191,000 jobs. This is a clear indicator that our efforts to revitalize and strengthen our economy are paying off.”

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Although Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate has increased slightly, there is still hope for those seeking Pittsburgh jobs.

In May 2008, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percent to 5 percent. This still places Pittsburgh below Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate of 5.2 percent, and the national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent.

Although the city’s unemployment rate went up, so did its labor force. Pittsburgh added 7,000 jobs, bringing the overall labor force to 1,217,100, the highest since September 2002. The city’s employment rose by 5,700, the highest since March 2001. The Pittsburgh and Altoona metropolitan statistical areas tied for the sixth-lowest position in unemployment out of the state’s 14 metropolitan statistical areas.

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With the state’s educational system being one of the best in the country, job seekers should take note that Virginia teaching jobs are on the rise.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 428,500 people were employed in Virginia’s education and health services industry in June 2008, a 2.5 percent increase over the previous year.

The Virginia Workforce Connection notes 314,945 people were employed in the educational services industry in 2004, and that number is expected to grow to 375,059 by 2014, a 19.1 percent increase.

While public schools are run by the cities and counties and not the state, all schools must adhere to educational standards set by the Virginia Department of Education, which maintains a program known as the Standards of Learning. There are 1,863 schools in the state, as well as 104 alternative and special education centers in 134 school divisions. Aside from public schools, Virginia is home to Governor’s Schools, magnet schools and the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

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Baltimore job seekers unsure of what direction to go might have luck with the city’s healthcare or business industries.

Baltimore healthcare jobs and Baltimore business jobs are on the rise. The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore notes education and health services accounts for 17 percent of the city’s economy, while professional and business services accounts for 15 percent.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the education and health services industry employed 383,700 people in June 2008, a 2.7 percent increase over the previous year.

The Baltimore Workforce Investment Board states the healthcare and life sciences sector is the largest in Baltimore.

“The healthcare and social assistance sector employss 67,200 alone or 17.34% of the workforce,” the site notes. “In Maryland, the industry grew 23.3% from 1990-1999. The industry is one of only three Baltimore city sectors to grow (9.3%) from 1990 to 2002. The industry has high vacancy rates. From 1990 to 1999, wages in this industry have grown 32% after inflation (26%). There are easily identifiable career ladders in this industry and local Baltimore employers have been receptive to further development of career pipeline strategies. There are high-demand, low skill/education jobs with good wages in this industry.”

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Washington DC was recently ranked 2nd among the top U.S. cities for engineering and other high-tech jobs, according to a report by the American Electronics Association. The AeA’s Cybercities 2008 report used the data gathered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2006, which is the most recent information available, to reach its conclusions. The New York metro area topped the list, followed by DC and Silicon Valley.

New York topped had the most positions in the tech services sector, including telecomm, Internet services, and computer training services and the Silicon Valley area led the U.S. in high tech manufacturing jobs. Washington DC, however, had one of the highest concentrations of engineering jobs and computer systems design positions. Overall, there were 295,800 jobs in the area that were considering high tech employment.

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The state of the economy may make it harder to find Washington DC sales jobs for the remainder of the summer. Between the rising price of gas and the instability of the economy, many consumers simply are not shelling out the amount of cash they usually would. Because of this, retailers do not have enough business to justify hiring new employees.

Until the economy sorts itself out competition for the available sales positions will be higher than it normally is. Since hiring managers could become swamped with applicants, it is more important than ever to pay extra attention to your resume.

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