Lancaster County commuters increasingly travel east

(Lancaster) — Lancaster County residents are shifting their commutes from west to east, as they are increasingly looking to Chester County to find work.

Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board executive director Scott Sheely says the shift makes sense when you consider state government’s shrinking workforce.

“While we used to see a lot of migration up Route 283 toward Harrisburg,” Sheely says, “we’re beginning to see some of the better, higher paying jobs actually moving over toward Chester County where we have had a lot of development in the IT world, in the insurance industry.”

Various Census Bureau data sets show Chester County either catching up with or surpassing Dauphin County as the top destination for Lancaster County workers.

Sheely notes the fluidity isn’t necessarily a problem. What’s more important, he says, is whether businesses are finding the employees they need, and workers are finding the jobs they want.

The county’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in June, more than a percentage point below the statewide figure.