Northeastern Pennsylvania -
According to Pennsylvania's Governor's Action Team's Annual Report for 2020-2021. Northeastern Pennsylvania is Leading the Commonwealth in job creation.
Number 1 in anything is a big title to declare especially in something as important as job creation.
John Augustine President and CEO of Penn's Northeast a Luzerne County Economic development agency was happy to share why the Governor's Report allows Northeastern PA to hold that title.
During 2020-2021 new companies made NEPA their home. Creating new opportunities for workers in manufacturing and offices.
"Overall across the board more than 2,300 jobs were created again not just in manufacturing or distribution, but also in regional and national headquarters," John Augustine said.
The Governor's action team or GAT, was created to help make new job opportunities in Pennsylvania. The report revealing GAT created 9,554 new jobs. 24% percent of those opportunities are at companies in Northeastern PA.
Two of the major job creation projects at Ball Corporation and CANPACK Group account for nearly 700 new jobs between Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.
For many of these jobs employers are offering competing salaries and offering to teach workers the skillset they need to perform daily tasks.
In our backyard even in some of the warehouse and distribution centers where the average salary was $9 an hour three years ago it's 20. We are paying people 20 dollars an hour with very little skill sets and benefits. That is over 40,000 dollars a year and when you take your lowest wages and you lift them. That helps the community it helps the whole economy," John Augustine explained.
Senator John Yudichak released a statement praising what he calls an economic success stating.
"When I was sworn in as a state legislator in 1999, Luzerne County's unemployment rate was pushing past 7.5%. Today, northeastern Pennsylvania is experiencing historic job and wage growth across diverse industry sectors," Senator John Yudichak.
Penn's Northeast President John Augustine told me this is not the end for job creation in Northeastern PA and there continues to be open jobs available for people who are looking.
