Tom Corbett at a 2013 PA GOP meeting

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is getting heat for saying that drug users are a factor affecting the state's unemployment rate. FILE PHOTO: Feb. 8, 2013. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com

In a discussion about Pennsylvania's unemployment,

cited a number of factors at play, including a lack of people in certain skills and some people just now entering the job market again.

But the Republican governor's remark about the role of drug users adding to unemployment is drawing criticism from Democrats and gaining nationwide attention.

In an interview with

on Monday, Corbett said, "There are many employers that say we're looking for people but can't find anyone who has passed a drug test. That's a concern for me because we're having a serious problem with that."

Pennsylvania Democrats took little time to respond.

, the Pennsylvania Democrats posted the video, teasing, "Watch Tom Corbett try to blame the unemployment rate on drug use."

And Corbett's remark is gaining national media attention.

.

"That's the governor of Pennsylvanian saying that the unemployment rate in Pennsylvania is high, because Pennsylvanians are high," Matthews said. "What an amazing statement by a public official."

picked up the story Tuesday, highlighting the controversy. The website also interviewed Dave Taylor with the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, saying that drug use is a factor affecting unemployment.

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Democratic contenders aiming to unseat Corbett in 2014 blasted the governor's remarks.

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the Philadelphia congresswoman who just formally announced her candidacy a few weeks ago, issued a statement to The Huffington Post.

"Governor Corbett's response to his own failed leadership on the economy shifts between making excuses and blaming and insulting the people of Pennsylvania," Schwartz said. "Either way, Pennsylvanians know it's obviously time for a new governor."

State Treasurer Rob McCord, another Democratic hopeful targeting Corbett, issued a statement of his own.

"This is the typical blame game from someone who doesn't understand the economy and doesn't understand how to create jobs," McCord said. "Drug use is not the cause of the state's lagging employment rate."

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate remained higher than the national average in March, the most recent month figures are available.

The Keystone State's unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in March, down from 8.1 percent in February. Conversely, the nationwide unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in March.

The job picture is a bit rosier in the midstate.

Earlier Tuesday, PennLive's John Luciew reported that

, down three-tenths of a percentage point from the previous month. Spring seasonal hiring provided a boost, with 3,000 jobs being added in the leisure and hospitality fields.

Still, state government continues to tighten its belt.

. The furlough notices are going out in the Department of Labor and Industry and the Auditor General's office, PennLive's Jan Murphy reports.

More than half of all American employers require job applicants to take a drug test, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. A 2011 survey of employers found that 57 percent of businesses conduct drug tests on all job candidates.