Shapiro Seeks Federal Talent to Fill Roles in Pennsylvania Government

Pennsylvania state government has more than 500 open jobs to fill. Gov. Josh Shapiro is looking to former federal workers to help fill them.

With thousands of federal employees losing their jobs in recent weeks, Gov. Shapiro recently signed an executive order that directs the state’s Office of Administration to accept federal government experience as equivalent to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania work experience for civil service roles.

“The federal public sector workforce is one of the most professional and qualified in the world, and we know that many federal jobs have similar duties to jobs performed by Commonwealth employees,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver, in a March 5 statement announcing the order.

“This executive order will help individuals with federal work experience find relevant job opportunities, continue their public service careers and put their skills to work for the people of Pennsylvania.”

The recent edict is meant to ensure that “former federal employees with valuable experience can more easily apply for essential vacant positions with the Commonwealth,” according to the aforementioned press release. Shapiro’s administration said the order seeks to attract displaced federal workers with specialized expertise in fields including civil engineering, nursing, corrections and accounting, for instance.

The directive is part of what the administration described as “an aggressive effort to recruit federal employees into Pennsylvania’s workforce.” That effort also includes launching a new website with information about state government opportunities, and hosting virtual and in-person job fairs for federal employees.

The order also requires the state’s Office of Administration to take a number of steps geared toward expanding the state’s talent pool to include more former federal employees, such as matching federal job titles with state job classifications so workers can easily identify how their experience translates into state government roles.

“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 with the Commonwealth, while continuing to protect pathways for veterans to continue their service.”