The labor shortage has forced Clarion County to take the unusual step of granting about 100 employees a pay increase.
The hike covers non-union and non-elected county employees.
“We have to get our starting salaries up because we cannot even get people to apply for jobs. It is getting harder to retain people,” county commissioner Ted Tharan said during Tuesday’s commissioners’ meeting.
Tharan said the problem confronts every county in the state.
“At the CCAP (County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania) conference in March that was one of the hot topics, how do you get and retain employees,” said Tharan.
“It seems like everyone is having the same problem in the same departments, said Amanda Carbaugh, the county’s Human Resources director. “The hardest ones are those that are required to 24 hours like CYS, corrections officers and 9-1-1 dispatchers.”
Receiving the increase are employees in the commissioners’ office, Court of Common Pleas, and in the offices of the district attorney, register and recorder, prothonotary, sheriff, and treasurer.
The full-time employees will receive at least a $1 an hour increase, and part-time employees will receive an increase of $1.50 an hour.
“The full-time people were raised to at least $14 an hour,” said budget director Rose Logue. “If you were at $13.97 you had an increase to $14.97.”
Also receiving a pay increase were Children and Youth Services caseworkers and supervisors.
Tharan said salaries of union employees would be negotiated with their respective unions.