Pennsylvania’s Effort to Draw Federal Talent Attracts Hundreds of Applicants

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that hundreds of former federal workers have applied for open Pennsylvania state government roles in the wake of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s March 5 executive order giving these candidates preference for state jobs.

The order directed 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 statement announcing the order.

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,” the statement read. 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.

Daniel Egan, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania’s Office of Administration told the Inquirer that the Commonwealth has received around 1,100 applications from roughly 700 applicants with experience in the federal workforce since the March 5 order was issued.

The Shapiro administration has described the directive as part of an aggressive effort to recruit federal talent into the Pennsylvania government workforce; an effort that also includes launching a new website with information about state government opportunities, and hosting virtual and in-person job fairs for federal employees.

“As Gov. Shapiro has made clear, this undertaking is not an act of charity,” Egan said in a statement. “This is an opportunity to take advantage of the availability of experience and talent to potentially fill critical vacancies we have here in the Commonwealth—and we will be working to ensure we maximize this opportunity.”