Pennsylvania jobs in trouble?

Pennsylvania jobs have seen their fair share of downs. As of January 2009, the state's unemployment rate has increased to 7.0% from the previous year's 4.6%. This does not reflect the hard times the state faced last month.

According to Forbes, 41,000 jobs in state were lost in February alone, the largest lay offs since 1996. In an attempt to save Pennsylvania jobs, Rendell pleaded with Sunoco, Philadelphia based oil company, to call off their impending job cuts.

Themultimillion dollar company says the 750 cuts are neccessary to ensure the company profits, and they will not reverse their decision.

However, a potential 42,000 jobs could be created in the coming months. There are numerous plans to begin construction jobs throughout the state.

According to the Pittsburgh Business Journal, with every $1 billion in infrastructure projects bring 30,000 new related jobs. The state has been given $1.4 billion, which could quickly jump start the work force.

Citizens are eager to to start work. In a poll of several contractors, "About 85 percent said they could start work on a shovel-ready project within a month of getting the contract, while 30 percent of those said they could do it within a few days".

There is hope for things to pick up for Pennsylvania.