Many are overskilled for entry-level work found in Centre County

By Jennifer Thomas

Sally Kolesar hopes to find a permanent job — one that pays more than minimum wage and offers more than 20 hours a week of work.

So does Betty Baktis.

Both moved to the area to care for ailing family members and want to stay. Both are experienced professional employees, both will be 60 before February ends, and both are hoping to find jobs that will take them into retirement.

But it’s a tough market, they say, and for the most part they’re finding that they’re overqualified or overeducated for the jobs that are available. Most of those are entry-level service jobs that don’t pay enough to sustain a modest lifestyle, they said.

The available jobs that pay more also require specific, specialized skills, they said.

“I thought because I had never had a problem getting a job ... but I’ve since found it very difficult to find something that pays a decent wage to live,” Baktis said.

People who earn degrees and choose to stay in the Centre County area may find themselves underemployed or taking a lower salary as part of that decision to stay local, said Scott Meckley, an industry analyst with the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, which is part of the Department of Labor.

Larger cities offer more opportunities, with large companies choosing to locate in urban areas and more manufacturing jobs along with growing retail and hospitality industries, he said.

The job opportunities in the State College area “are a little bit more limited when compared to other urban areas,” Meckley said. “There is a tradeoff there.”

Kolesar and Baktis have learned firsthand the challenges of Centre County’s job market.

Kolesar has a master’s degree in theological studies and a master’s equivalency in speech and theater. She has taught English and public speaking on the high school level, organized church education programs and, most recently, worked at a domestic violence agency in the Lehigh Valley.

Baktis, who grew up in Philipsburg, spent years working in government at the county, state and federal levels. She got a job with Centre County government in 1994, but the position was eliminated in 2006, she said. “I expected to retire there,” Baktis said.

Both are now working part time at CareerLink, where they do some career counseling as part of the Experience Works program. The federal government program aims to have host agencies take employees on for 20 hours per week at minimum wage, in hopes of helping people older than 55 get back into the work force.

“The idea is you get a job more easily when you’re working,” Kolesar said.

Linda Calhoun, site director of the State College CareerLink, said she’s seeing increasing numbers of highly educated people looking for work, but fewer professional jobs being listed.

Competitive wages, flexible hours and other incentives help draw employees into the job market, particularly at the entry level.

“I think we find there are some that will jump at the first thing to put food on the table,” Calhoun said.

Cheryl Johnson, executive director of the Private Industry Council of the Central Corridor, said that from the economic-development standpoint, encouraging creation of jobs that are mid-level professional but don’t require additional specialized training is something that would aid the region.

Coleman said the chamber is focused on bringing technology-oriented jobs to the area through its Benner Pike Commerce Park. Jobs such as those in nanotechnology and life sciences are typically higher in wage and come with some type of benefits.

“It doesn’t mean that a traditional manufacturer that may show up isn’t going to get our interest,” he said. He said the business climate in Pennsylvania is difficult, with issues such as taxes, financing and health care costs working against efforts to recruit companies to the state. It doesn’t get any better in Centre County, Coleman said.

“It is very difficult to grow a company in Centre County,” he said, citing the commerce park as an example.

Future development of the park cannot continue until Benner Township completes a rewrite of its zoning code, Coleman said. It was expected to be complete in summer of 2007. Now, months later it’s still being worked on, leaving the chamber unable to recruit companies to the area. He said it’s important for the area to be proactive and promote a business-friendly environment.

“We’re just not in a position to offer anything to anyone at this point,” he said. “In the meantime, it’s lost opportunities.”