[VIDEO] PA Gov: Too many unemployed people on drugs

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett appeared on local radio to battle negative job approval ratings during a tough re-election campaign. During his interview with PA Matters, Corbett sought to justify his performance during the state's slow economic recovery.

Corbett is asked to answer criticism that private employment has remained flat for 13 months, landing the state “49th in the nation for job creation during March.” The Republican Governor argued that the state gained 111,000 private sector jobs since he gained office and is “doing better than other states.”

He then goes on to say that the private sector is trying to employ more people, but that applicants are failing drug tests.

"The other area is, there are many employers that say we’re looking for people but we can’t find anybody that has passed a drug test, a lot of them. And that’s a concern for me because we’re having a serious problem with that."

Though Pennsylvania's unemployment rate has dropped to 7.9 percent, the number of people working in the state dropped by 14,000 in March, following a drop of 6,000 in February, reports the Pennsylvania Independent.

A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll released on Monday found Corbett trailing potential Democratic opponents by at least nine points.

Earlier this month a bill was introduced in the state senate that would require drug testing of all applicants and recipients for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in Pennsylvania. Newsworks reports that in a 19-county pilot program testing "only those convicted of felony drug offenses," just two people have failed since January 2012.