Skilled, dedicated workforce is waiting in Greater Hazleton
Greater Hazleton continues to attract many national and international companies because it retains a proud tradition as an area populated with a large labor pool of skilled and dedicated workers who have the knowledge and work ethic to instantly fill available job openings across all industry sectors.
Pennsylvania CareerLink Luzerne County Administrator Christine Jensen said she sees many eager job hunters at the hundreds of events her office hosts in Hazleton. More than 600 people with the background and skills to obtain immediate employment attended an annual job fair hosted by PA CareerLink and the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce earlier this year.
Jensen feels the area continues to maintain its reputation as a place where residents want to be employed.
Greater Hazleton’s workforce helps businesses succeed
Greater Hazleton provides multiple benefits for any industry that is looking to open a new facility. Among those many positive attributes is a large pool of employees with the highest level of integrity and productivity. Success in the manufacturing and logistics industry has always involved a team effort and employers consistently rank having a dedicated workforce as one of their keys to do business.
Our region’s large labor pool is just one of a number of advantages that companies cite when growing their business operation in the Hazleton area. Other benefits also include Pennsylvania’s low operating costs compared to neighboring states and the geographical proximity to major highways including Interstates 80, 81, 380 and 476.
Many local companies have found success utilizing the diverse skills of Greater Hazleton’s workforce.
WorkKeys program measures employees for workplace skills
Pennsylvania CareerLink uses the nationally-recognized WorkKeys program to ensure that local workers possess the skills that will lead to their employment success. The Luzerne County office is certified to administer the test to measure basic, foundational skill levels in potential employees and assess if they have the necessary traits employers are looking for in their available positions.
The majority of area candidates who take the WorkKeys assessment routinely rank within the acceptable skills range for the jobs they are seeking, including those in the manufacturing industry, according to PA CareerLink Luzerne County Administrator Christine Jensen.