Pennsylvania job growth outpaces nation

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The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association has released its latest workforce trends report, finding that while recent job growth in Pennsylvania is outpacing the nation, there is uneven progress in sectors and regions. 

For example, construction employment trends in the Southeast and South Central Pennsylvania look much more like national trends, with growth ranging from 3 percent to nearly 13%, while the Lehigh Valley had a manufacturing job growth of 5.6%. 

The report found that Pennsylvania’s economy experienced a robust recovery from COVID-19, followed by a historically tight labor market.  

Job seekers found leverage in the job market with extremely low unemployment rates, steady month-over-month increases in employment, and job openings that exceeded the number of unemployed workers.  

“The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association‘s latest Workforce Trends report shows strong recent job growth in Pennsylvania,” said Lauren Holubec, executive director of the association. “But while overall Pennsylvania’s job growth is outpacing the nation, we are seeing uneven success across regions and sectors. We need flexible, localized workforce strategies so that we can target regions and industries with unique interventions, helping them accelerate progress.” 

 Pennsylvania jobs grew 1.4% in the past year as compared to 1.1% nationally. Pennsylvania’s leisure and hospitality industry employment jumped more than doubled that nationally. 

However, state job growth compared to pre-pandemic levels is lagging behind the rest of the nation. 

Pennsylvania experienced less than 3% employment growth since February 2020, compared to about 5 percent nationally.   

“Our latest Workforce Trends report underscores the need for Policymakers to work with local workforce boards and rely on them for local solutions and interventions that will drive job growth in their regions,” said Holubec. “We have seen significant variances between regions and sectors as we have studied job growth and workforce trends in Pennsylvania. A construction job in the southwest is dramatically different from a construction job in the northeast. We must make sure that all of our local workforce boards have the tools and flexibility to work with employers, train workers, and connect job seekers to opportunities that exist in their regions. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.”