Employees needed in Pennsylvania's outdoor recreation industry
Stakeholders in outdoor recreation are looking for employees, and some are offering year-round positions with living wages.
Pennsylvania's director of outdoor recreation, Nathan Reigner, held a workforce webinar recently to discuss opportunities for growing the state’s outdoor recreation workforce and strengthening economic opportunities for Pennsylvania residents.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) are holding outdoor recreation networking meetings this month.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has revealed the outdoors industry in Pennsylvania has at least 152,000 employees and the industry provides close to $14 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy, Reigner said.
“In Pennsylvania, the ski industry is always actively hiring,” said Ladora Phillips, general manager of Ski Big Bear in Lackawaxen and president of the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association, during the webinar. At Ski Big Bear, she said they hire about 150 seasonal employees each winter in northeastern Pennsylvania.
They also need year-around employees, such as mechanics, accountants, marketing, human resources and food and beverage areas.
“Our year-around employees are not only paid competitively but also have retirement plans, health, vision, dental and life insurance and a fantastic work environment, " she said. "Consumers don’t get a quality experience if we don’t have them."
She pointed out the ski industry brings in more than $500 million in direct and indirect economic impact, usually in Pennsylvania’s rural communities.
The challenges in acquiring workers for the ski resorts is the lack of public transportation and rising home prices in these resort areas.
Reigner's research reveals outdoor recreation workers make about 57% of the wages of the average Pennsylvania worker, $44,623 in 2021, compared with $77,884 for all salaried jobs in the state. Many jobs in the sector are seasonal and require supplementary employment or unemployment compensation to make ends meet.
Josh Zucal, Cameron County marketing director and planner, said areas like his are a respite or vacation destination.
“We have more in our current possession in Cameron County, more camps than we have residential homes,” he said. For those wanting a place to live, work and play in the outdoors, the area has wild elk to view, trout streams to fish as well as dark skies for those who like to star gaze.
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To further networking opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, the DCNR, DCED and other state agencies, are developing an Office of Outdoor Recreation, which would be responsible for coordinating and synergizing among entities within and connected to state government to help align and support strategic initiatives, partnerships, policies, and resources.
The agencies have also created a Recreation Engagement Coalition (REC) that includes members from across Pennsylvania with local, regional and statewide influence and expertise in the outdoor recreation sector representing multiple disciplines.
Reigner is hosting statewide stakeholder meetings this month:
April 5 – John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia
April 6 – Nurture Nature Center, Easton
April 11 – Conewango Club, Warren
April 12 – Lycoming College, Williamsport
April 13 – Montage Mountain, Scranton
April 25 – Frick Environmental Center, Pittsburgh
April 26 – Discovery Center, Johnstown
April 27 – Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie.
Contact the DCNR’s Director of Outdoor Recreation online for more information about the meetings and check out DCNR’s Calendar of Events online at events.dcnr.pa.gov for more opportunities.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors ,Twitter @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Jobs in the outdoor sector, what outdoor jobs are hiring
