PA Governor Signs Executive Order To Help Job Seekers

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania will attempt to fill critical job vacancies with former federal employees by accepting their government occupational experience as equivalent to state government work experience.

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed an executive order that should bolster the state's attempt to hire people with specialized experience in fields such as civil engineering, nursing, corrections, accounting and others. They would be hired to fill positions that already are funded.

The order comes amid President Donald Trump's federal downsizing initiative, which has resulted in significant workforce reductions in agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and others. The administration has not provided an official tally of displaced workers, as many employees have been called back to their jobs as needed.

"Right now, Pennsylvania still has 540 critical jobs to fill - and we have an opportunity to recruit federal workers and veterans who have significant experience and expertise in all of these fields because they've held these jobs already at the federal level or in the military," Shapiro said in a statement.

"Under this executive order, my administration will consider relevant federal work experience as equivalent to commonwealth work experience so skilled, experienced federal employees can pre-qualify for existing open positions while continuing to protect pathways for veterans to continue their service."

As part of the executive order, the Shapiro administration has launched a new website with information about state government opportunities that align with experience and hosting virtual and in-person job fairs for federal employees.

Shapiro signed the executive order at the second annual Commonwealth Job Fair in Harrisburg, where more than 40 state agencies provided job seekers with information about public service careers and hundreds of open positions to nearly 900 registered attendees.