The approval of many new clean energy projects should create several Pennsylvania construction jobs.

The State of Pennsylvania recently announced it would invest $12 million in alternative clean energy projects that will create about 1,200 full-time and part-time jobs. The projects, approved by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, are expected to garner $118 million in private investments, according to an article by Market Watch.

“We are investing in Pennsylvania businesses and organizations that are committed to the development of clean-burning home-grown fuels and renewable energy sources,” Governor Rendell said in the article. “The investment in innovative technologies and energy efficiency will help drive energy costs down, provide affordable energy, create good-paying, green jobs in communities throughout the state and reduce our dependence on foreign fuel.”

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Three main industries are expected to be responsible for adding the most jobs in Pennsylvania in the coming years.

The education and health services, professional and business services and leisure and hospitality industries are expected to account for 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s annual employment growth through 2014, according to an article by Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.

“These sectors reflect the dynamics of an aging population‘s need for more health care, the gradual transition of the Baby Boom generation out of the workforce and into an active retirement, and the continued transformation of the state’s economy from a goods producer to a service producer,” the article notes.

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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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