When it rains, it pours.
During this morning’s gubernatorial debate, Governor Tom Corbett repeatedly mentioned that 250,000 jobs were available in the Keystone State and they could be found at Jobgateway.pa.gov.
So, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Brad Bumsted decided to look up just what types of jobs were advertised on the site. Turns out a number of racy and questionable postings were included.
Among the job openings were opportunities for exotic dancers, “car dates” and “casting couch openings.”
Apparently, the state website aggregates job listings from various sites including Craigslist, where these postings originated. The site does employ a vendor to screen for these sorts of issues, but obviously they didn’t do a stellar job.
Additionally, those seeking unemployment benefits have to sign up with the website. In fact, Holly Otterbein of WHYY Newsworks reported in July that 50,000 people had lost their jobless benefits because they haven’t signed up.
The whole episode is a major headache for Governor Corbett. He is already dealing with the fallout from the AG emails. Then, this morning he commented in the debate that he “wished” someone had sent him one of the graphic emails. The Gov made it clear he meant this would’ve allowed him to immediately put a stop to it. Yet that didn’t stop the story from growing.
“Tom Corbett has repeatedly insulted Pennsylvanians who are searching for jobs in his failed economy, even saying it is because they are doing drugs,” Fresh Start spokesman Mike Mikus said. “He’s sunk Pennsylvania from ninth to 47th in job growth and now it is clear that even his much touted website simply does not work as intended.”
“Tom Wolf is clearly desperate to change the narrative on his tax-and-spend policies,” Corbett-Cawley Communications Director Chris Pack responded. “It is unfortunate that rather than talk about hundreds of thousands of good family-sustaining jobs, Tom Wolf is focusing on a handful of glitches in an algorithm that aggregates hundreds of thousands of jobs from many national employment websites including Monster and Craigslist. It is also worth noting that there is a clear jump page warning that the user is leaving JobGateway and is being transferred to a third party website.”
Altogether, this has to be a disappointing day for the Corbett campaign. Instead of capitalizing on his winning first debate performance, the day has been spent on distractions. As a result, the Governor has watched a key opportunity to gain in the polls go by.
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17 Responses
TWO unemployed for every ONE job opening. There aren’t hundreds of thousands of jobs out there, waiting to be taken. It was as high as SEVEN to one during the recession. http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/there-were-two-unemployed-persons-job-opening-august-2014-5577
so what, these glitches happened under other guv’s. Corbett will still win for the very reason Chris has been teaching us about.
I wonder how much of the Department of Labor’s inadequate website has to do with the contract IBM had up until 2013, which was finally cancelled after delays and cost overruns. (Read about it here: http://www.informationweek.com/applications/pennsylvania-ends-troubled-contract-with-ibm/d/d-id/1111004? )
A search engine that collects supposed job postings from anywhere on the internet, real or not, had to have been somebody’s idea—someone living in the technology of 1997, not 2014. Whose idea was it? Why force Pennsylvanians who are down on their luck to WASTE TIME chasing after BDSM solicitations that were pulled from Craigslist? Is this the Koch Brothers’ inspired “free market” at work? How many of the postings at PAJobBank were union??
Look, even Tom Wolf’s commercial actors need to eat. And if it keeps him off food stamps…
I understand also that the state’s websites are difficult for CentPADems, but seriously, you can’t find votes for legislation???
“Corbett and competent do not seem to be synonymous,” said the man who couldn’t read the law and accomplish the one thing candidates must do. Glass house Mr. Guzzardi.
guevenor corbit is gonna be guevenor for 4 more yeers becuz john wolfe is a good guy allright but the wayt it works in penn is guvs are aloud to be guv 8 yrs and than they got to stop and let the other parties take over and be guvn or 8 yrs too.
That jobs website is just an aggregator. If the Penn State assistant coach position were advertised two years ago, it would still be bouncing around on the state’s job site.
The idea of forcing the people to register and use the site was to further humiliate the unemployed at a time when the state had three unemployed people for every one REAL job opening (not internet post of a supposed job.)
In the movie Cool Hand Luke, the sadistic warden had the men dig a ditch and then fill it up. That’s what that PA Job Bank is. A place to make people go look for jobs that aren’t there. Then, if they don’t “work” at that, the Department starts screwing with their check.
That’s not the only screwing around and stupid policy out of UI. I can give you a list of three others. Governor Wolf can’t happen fast enough.
Tom Corbett could screw up the perverbal one man band.
Bob Guzzardi – Write-in?
goevenor corbitt is gonna win in a land slide, bobgizzard, cuz goevenors in penna get 2 terms and than the other partie can be gov for 2 terms,
Corbett and competent do not seem to be synonymous.
What kind of Job Site accepts Craigslist Postings?? An Incompetent one, so this reflects exactly why One-Term Tommie will be forcibly retired to South arolina: Unsurpassed Incompetence. Those who complain about the source of the story? Sour grapes. You can go to corbett’s job site right now and do a search on Car Dates. They are still there.
goevnore corbit he bringed more jobs to penna in the last 3 yrs than all of the other guvs combined and that’s y he aint gonna loose and he gonna win in a land slide even though john wolfe is good candyate and he gonna loose cuz goevnoer vovbit is good guv.
Bumsted didn’t find anything other than the information he was personally handed by the Wolf campaign. Good for them for doing their homework and timing it well, but lets not act like Brad is Carl Bernstein.
Most of the state.pa.us websites run by the Commonwealth of PA are horrible. Try using the Dept of State website at http://www.dos.state.pa.us to look up campaign finance reports. It is slow and cumbersome to use. Same with the garbage on both the PA House and Senate sites. It is so difficult to get on and find the votes of important legislation. Again, cumbersome for a member of the general public to find the legislation. I’m sure the staff at the capitol that knows every bill number and amendment has no problem, but the general public have to wade through bill after bill to find what they want.
Actually, Brad didn’t look up the jobs, he was handed a printout from the Wolf campaign’s oppo research. It’s a funny story and will draw headlines, but also meaningless.
ANY 3RD RATE COMEDIANS JOB POSTINGS FOR HECTOR MARTINIZE
Who cares, Nick. How is this embarrassing for the Guv. This site has gone down hill since you took over. There are so many better issues, if you thought critically for a second, you could be discussing that are relevant. I hate to say it, but, maybe you are just steering content to get yourself a communications spot with the next Governor.