Role of Employment Services in the Economy of Franklin County

Abstract

The Penn State Workforce Education and Development Initiative conducted an analysis of the economic impact of employment services in Franklin County in Pennsylvania. The analysis was designed to help understand the impact of the loss of 200 jobs as a result of a layoff at RAMTECH Support Services announced in March on the WARN website, effective April 19, 2010.

The Economic and Workforce Brief produced from this analysis provides a benchmark for measuring the total employment, employee compensation, and property taxes associated with every 100 workers employed in Franklin County's employment services industry.

RAMTECH Support Services, headquartered in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, provides blue and white collar skilled labor mainly through contract work primarily to the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies according to the RAMTECH corporate website. The layoff was due to the U.S. military's unexpected cancellation of the HMMWV (Humvee) Recap Program according to a report in The Patriot-News on March 3, 2010.

Services provided by RAMTECH Support Services are classified in the North American Industrial Classification System code 561330. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, establishments in this industry "are primarily engaged in providing human resources and human resource management services to staff client businesses."

Keywords: economic impact, pennsylvania, employment services