STATE COLLEGE — A Penn State study says Pennsylvania may be more susceptible than other states to losing jobs overseas.

The study says one-fourth of Pennsylvanians working in the service industry were vulnerable to having their jobs shipped abroad, and that Pennsylvania workers were more likely to hold "offshorable" jobs than the national average.

Service jobs most susceptible to being sent overseas are those considered routine, and which do not require face-to-face contact or regional knowledge. They include call center employees, payroll and radiology.

The study cited lower wages and the ability to avoid employee benefits among reasons to ship jobs overseas. Author David Passmore says such cost savings may be especially appealing to employers in a recession,