Philadelphia's most recent unemployment rates checked in at 10.9%, which is well behind the national average of 8.8%. While the entire tri-state Greater Philadelphia area fared better at 8.4%, 2011 showed plenty of companies that are hiring.
When a company cannot hire employees fast enough, it's got to be NextDocs. The Microsoft SharePoint provider is bringing people in at breakneck speed. Transcend United continues to expand in IT, through mergers, acquisitions and hiring. GPIC is always looking to staff its constituent companies.
Google search challenger
DuckDuckGo expanded from a basement operation to offices in Paoli and is seeking employees to fill the new space.
VCopious, which provides virtual environments for enterprise, expects to double its staff by the end of next year. GIS expert
Azavea continues to expand.
Center City based
Cliq is looking for engineers who can assist in the mission to transform social data into social knowledge.
Other growth areas are in life sciences;
Greenphire, founded to streamline clinical research, expects to double staff following a Series A round of funding.
Echo Therapeutics reported earlier this year it was hiring 25.
Farm to table continues upward. South Jersey based
Zone 7 and Chester County's
Wyebrook Farm expanded considerably this year.
Philly Cow Share,
Bennett Compost, and
Common Market all thrived this growing season. The
Healthy Carts initiative launched to address the problem of food deserts in underserved areas of the city.
Writer: Sue Spolan