CareerCast.com Reports on Best Jobs in Pennsylvania

Carlsbad, CA (July 26, 2012) – Although Software Engineer ranks as the best job in Pennsylvania, jobs in the healthcare sector dominate CareerCast.com's new report on the Best Jobs in Pennsylvania, which was released today. Eight of the top 12 jobs are in the red-hot healthcare industry, including Pharmacist, Dental Hygienist, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Veterinarian, Physician Assistant, Medical Secretary, and Registered Nurse.

Overall, the healthcare industry is projected to expand by 15.4% in Pennsylvania through 2020. In addition to the demand for healthcare workers, the Keystone State's hiring outlook is bright. The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania, which is currently at 7.5%, has improved steadily in recent months (down from a peak of 8.7% in February 2010) and is below the national average.

Benefiting from an excellent work environment, few dangerous physical demands and low stress – not to mention a median salary of nearly $90,000 – Software Engineer was named America's best job of 2012 earlier this year. In Pennsylvania, thanks to the presence of technology companies like Microsoft, Symantec and Oracle, as well as the headquarters of companies like Bentley Systems and EPAM Systems, demand for Software Engineers is expected to grow by 2.2% annually through 2018. Additionally, the computer, science and engineering industry in Pennsylvania is expected to grow by 10.4% overall through the end of the decade.

Some growing industries like Gaming and Mining offer many opportunities in Pennsylvania, but create jobs that typically require long hours or a high risk of injury.

"To qualify for many of the best jobs, it helps to have an interest in helping others or working on computers," says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. "Job seekers who want to compete for the best opportunities in Pennsylvania should target health care and IT, which are both growing and creating new jobs."

CareerCast.com's Best Jobs report evaluates positions that offer the best balance of pleasant working conditions, good salaries and strong projected growth in Pennsylvania through the end of the decade.

CareerCast.com's 12 best jobs in Pennsylvania for 2012:

Each year Jobs Rated researchers survey 200 jobs – from Accountant to Zoologist – scoring them according to five key criteria: Physical Demands, Work Environment, Income, Hiring Outlook and Stress. Some factors remain relatively constant from year to year, but others fluctuate greatly due to changes in the job market, technological innovations or current events. Using data from government sources, trade groups and private organizations, every job receives a score and rank in each category, and these ratings are then combined to form a complete ranking of 200 jobs for 2012, from best to worst.

Jobs Rated Methodology:
http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/2012-jobs-rated-methodology

To read the full report, visit http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/12-best-jobs-pennsylvania-2012

About CareerCast.com

CareerCast.com, created by Adicio, is a job search portal that offers extensive local, niche and national job listings from across North America; job-hunting, career-management and HR-focused editorial content; and videos and blogs; and provides recruiters with the ability to post jobs directly to more than 800 niche career sites. CareerCast.com also compiles the Jobs Rated Report (www.jobsrated.com), where 200 jobs across North America are ranked based on detailed analysis of specific careers factors.