The Monster Employment Index, which measures the number of
job postings across a broad spectrum of job boards and compares that number to
a base year of 2003, reached a record level for Pittsburgh at 169 for July.
Some of the strongest
Pittsburgh employment categories include “Business and Financial Operations”, “Community
and Social Services”, “Healthcare Support”,
“Food Preparation and Serving”, “Building, Grounds Cleaning, Maintenance” and “Transportation
and Material Moving.
Nationwide the Labor Department
reported that 117,000 jobs were created in July with the prior two months
estimates increased by a combined 54,000 jobs.
For a complete breakdown of both
the local and national employment indexes please click here.
Pittsburgh has once again been named America’s Most Livable City, this time by Forbes magazine. Using 5 criteria to rank the top 200 metros, Pittsburgh came in number one on the strength of relatively low unemployment and low crime rates. For the rest of the story go to http://bit.ly/aObeLY
With the advent of multiple very large construction projects set to get under way within the next 4 months, southwestern Pennsylvania’s job market is poised to see its best quarter in over 5 years. This year to date has seen the first bit of growth for this market since 2001. Year to year growth (July to July) was just over 4,600 jobs created (only .4%).
The upcoming September to December time period should see that and more. Although paltry from a total percentage standpoint, it is the beginning of what should be decent economic news for at least the next 2 years, barring a major unforeseen shock to the economy.
In the hourly Pittsburgh jobs arena, we are seeing very strong demand in the hospitality market, retail, security and sales, along with the always growing plea for healthcare workers. Manufacturing, though anemic by historical standards, has stabilized in the region.
Another symptom of the improving job climate is the continued reduction in applicants for career training schools. As jobseekers gain employment they are less likely to seek retraining. We’re not talking about 4 year college degree programs but the 1 and 2 year programs favored by job seekers seeking retraining. This is something we have seen very strongly in the south and west as those job markets heated up in 2005 and 2006. Look for an announcement coming within the next 3 months of a major Pittsburgh career school closing it’s doors.
This weeks Hottest Employer of the Week is the George Delallo Distribution Center in Greensburg, PA. They are seeking an experienced dispatcher and multiple over the road (OTR) Class A drivers. The driver positions are for local deliveries where the driver will be able to be at home daily. For more details on qualifications and how to apply pick up this weeks Employment Guide.
We have written a lot recently about the evidence transpiring for a strong hiring season for hourly workers in the Pittsburgh area. This spring is trending toward the strongest we have seen since 2001. However, we need to be careful about painting such an optimistic picture that it would appear anybody with a pulse should have no problem venturing out and landing the first job they apply to. When we speak about hourly workers, especially entry level hourly workers, we are hearing very disturbing evidence that a high number of applicants coming directly out of school do not have the basic skills in reading or math to be able to do many of these jobs adequately.
We recently read an interesting blog post by Harold Miller, President of Future Strategies, LLC, titled “Help Wanted? Help Needed by Young Adults”. Mr. Miller writes about the high poverty and unemployment rate of 18 to 24 year olds in the Pittsburgh area. The point he makes about some of the reasons are valid. The lack of job growth in recent past years being a predominant reason. He also writes about the high number of students who will be graduating soon that are below proficient on state test scores, with percentages over 40%. Quote; “Why are so many of these young adults unemployed? Part of the answer is undoubtedly the slow job growth in the region. But many employers are complaining that they can’t find workers for entry-level jobs. Where’s the disconnect? In a lot of cases, it’s lack of skills”.
We posted a comment on Mr. Miller’s blog:
Of great concern is why these kids are not proficient. Certainly the schools have room for improvement. Fortunately the job market in Pittsburgh is visibly improving. The largest issue in our opinion is too many kids are not being taught at home the benefits of working hard at school. It’s an issue of INCLUSION. Far too many of our students do not feel hard work on their part will ever pay off. They have given up hope at an early age and withdrawn into a drug and/or crime infested subculture. This sub culture is what has created the “it’s not cool to be smart” paradigm. The long term solution that might show the best result would be proactively showing all kids when they reach 7th, 8th and 9th grade what working hard now will mean to them later in life. This would have to mean corporate and business leaders getting directly involved by going into our schools and mentoring our students. Our schools can not do this by themselves.
By not addressing this issue for such a long time employers are now reporting that it’s not that we don’t have enough entry level hourly workers. The problem is we do not have enough QUALIFIED entry level hourly workers. With projections now over the next 5 years of the possibility for a severe worker shortage in Pittsburgh due to the large construction projects and current hiring plans it will be a shame if this is exacerbated by a large percentage of young people who simply cannot read.
This week’s hottest employer, based on severity of need or number of needs is the all new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Cranberry Twp. With the official grand opening just last week, the new super center is in need of part-time positions in almost every department. Wal-Mart asks that you come into their store at 20245 Route 19, Cranberry Twp, PA 16066 or apply online at www.walmart.com. Or pick up this week's copy of The Employment Guide for more details.
In our last post we talked about not popping a cork yet over all the good news about our local job market and that it would be months before the early projections of growth could be verified. Well, maybe we can allow ourselves a little taste after the latest national and local survey reports that were just announced yesterday and today.
First the national report. Jobs nationally were reported to be up by 180,000. This is about 20,000 higher than the most optimistic forecasts. On top of this the past two months were revised higher by 32,000 jobs. According to MarketWatch reporter Greg Robb this is bewildering economists who feared, with the slowing economy, job creation would become anemic. The unemployment rate nationally dropped to 4.4% from 4.5%, matching the rate from last October.
For a fresh look at our local job market, we turn to a semi-annual survey of local small and mid-sized companies conducted by PNC Financial Services Group, as reported by the Post Gazette’s Elwin Green. This survey shows that 23% of local companies plan to add to their staff over the next six months, up from 15% from the last survey done in October. While there is concern over the reported reduction in the number of local jobseekers in February, often a sign of discouraged jobseekers pulling out of the job market, evidence continues to mount that we are in the early stages of one of the best job expansions in 6 years here in the Pittsburgh region. Most of the news we have read about over the past year speaks about how stagnant our area has been with a lack of job growth coupled with an aging population. The aging population (deaths have outnumbered births in our region by ten’s of thousand over the past 6 years) will continue for quite some time, but the Pittsburgh region could soon find itself in a position unthought-of of just a few years ago – a SHORTAGE of hourly workers.
The latest numbers out from state Department of Labor and Industry for February, as reported in the Post Gazette by Steve Massey, show our jobless rate to be at a 37 year low at 3.9%. Before we all start popping corks in celebration, the numbers need to be brought into a proper light – what does this mean for an unemployed resident? With a 3.9% unemployment rate it is expected to be officially a seller’s, or jobseeker’s, market. Caution needs to be used due to how an unemployment rate is calculated. The jobless rate takes into account the number of not just jobs, but jobseekers as well. The number of jobseekers is reported to have declined by 7,000, while the official number of new jobs only increased by 2,000.
Because of the relatively small sample size use to calculate individual county rates, the number’s accuracy will take a few more months to verify. A concurrent survey of employers in our area shows an increase of over 9,000 jobs year to date over 2006.
As we have in the past in our writings, we will use ourselves, the Employment Guide, as a barometer. Our business is solely derived by the demand for hourly jobs. That is, the more in demand hourly workers are by employers in our area, the more difficult it is to find qualified workers. This forces employers to look at new or additional means to attract these workers. The “sign in the window” no longer works, or works as well. Based on our business climate these past 3 months we have no doubt our hourly job market has tightened over the first quarter. Has it actually dropped to a 37 year low? Probably not, but the trend toward a seller’s market is definitely in place with the prospects of continuing tightness over at least the next 3 years now excellent. Certainly this is great news for jobseekers, if not for employers trying to find them!
This week’s hottest employer based on immediate need is Xentel, looking for Tele-fundraisers. These are positions work to raise donations for highly visible non-profit and community based organizations. Xentel has 3 offices near Pittsburgh including Greentree, North Huntington and Steubenville, Ohio. They offer complete training so no experience is necessary. Pick up this week’s Employment Guide for more information and details on how you can apply. The Employment Guide can be found at any Advanced Auto Parts, Major Grocery Store, PA CareerLink office, library and over 400 bright green outdoor boxes. This is a great way to make money while helping worthy organizations!
Hourly employment prospects in the Pittsburgh area over the next 3 years have improved dramatically over what we have experienced since 9-11. The list of all the recent announcements that will influence this is long: Westinghouse will move 3,000 employees from Monroeville to Cranberry Twp, then ADD another 1,000 employees, Simon Malls is nearing final approvals on a new Waterfront style mall in Cranberry that will employ over 1,000 people. Another local developer, Don Rogers, who has many successful retail projects already under his belt, has plans for an additional 800,000 square foot office complex around the new Simon Mall property projected to bring yet another 1,000 jobs, the new casino in Pittsburgh will create a projected 1,000 permanent jobs while the casino near the Meadowlands in Washington County will add another 300-400, The new pens arena will not only add many additional construction jobs over the next 2 years but will net out additional hourly positions once completed. On smaller scales but still significant Bayer will hold a grand opening today on a new call center that will add 60 jobs, a German company, Sycor, will add 80 jobs with the move of it’s headquarters to Pittsburgh, Medrad has recently projected the addition of another 100 jobs. The Post Gazette’s Bill Toland wrote a nice article on the impact all the new construction will have on the area over the next 2-3 years.
Yes, there have been a couple of set back, most notably Sony eliminated up to 900 positions over the next year, but these will be more than made up with jobs added elsewhere in the metro. Hopefully some of the lost Sony jobs can be made up by new tenants in the space being freed up by Sony, but only time will tell.
Manpower released a survey this past week on the hardest to fill jobs nationally. It is noted that the positions have decidedly trended toward blue collar. Click this link to read more.
This week’s hottest employer is Masonic Village in Sewickley. With openings in many different departments including nursing, food prep, marketing, maintenance, environmental services and more. They are located minutes from I-79. Masonic Village is a 50-acre campus located 12 miles from the city of Pittsburgh. The types of residential living accommodations available include four-story apartment buildings and single level villa homes. The population includes: Residential Living: 228 apartments, 35 villa homes, Assisted Living: 64, and Nursing Care: 128, for a total of 455. Pick up this week’s Employment Guide or go to http://pittsburgh.employmentguide.com to more information on background requirements and how to apply.
It looks like a great mix of companies will be on hand at the big job fair to be held at the U.S. Steel Building this coming Wednesday, March 28th from 10:30AM to 3:00PM. If you are a job seeker looking for hourly entry level up to mid-level skilled positions, you don’t want to miss this event. It is free for jobseekers and requires no pre-registration. We ask that you bring plenty of resumes and dress for success. The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh will be on hand to talk about their services in resume writing, interviewing skills and much more. Make it a point to seek them out! Commute info will be there with information on how city residents can find transportation to jobs. Approximately 30 companies will be on hand looking for positions in Customer Service, Sales, Retail, Office/Clerical, Protective Services, Construction, Factory/Warehouse, Healthcare and allied Healthcare, Social Services, Drivers and more. The current list of companies includes Verizon Wireless, Leed’s, Best Buy, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mylan Laboratories, Sunrise Senior Living, Lenzner Coach Lines, Frito Lay, Avis/Budget, Southwest Airlines, Transitional Services, Community College of Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh, Manufacturing 2000, Advance Auto Parts, The Home Depot, Mainstay Life Services, WQED-TV, The Ready Set Companies, OK Grocery, Goodwill, Echostar, PA State Police, Maronda Homes, PA CareerLink, Cintas, All-State Career School and more. The concourse level in the U.S. Steel building is the lower level as you walk into the main lobby. Just go down the escalator and follow the signs. The address of the Steel Building is 600 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222. If you take the “T” subway system you can get off at the Steel Plaza and walk right in! Information will also be in the Employment Guide. Hopefully we’ll see you there!
The decision announced this week by Westinghouse to move their entire Monroeville work force to Cranberry Twp. (25 miles down the PA Turnpike) has created more buzz than the Pittsburgh area has seen in many years – both good and bad. It is important to remember, very little will change for about 2 years. Overall the effect on the region’s job market will be neutral for a year or two after the move occures early in 2009. Moving 3,000 plus employees from Monroeville to Cranberry Township will not by itself add or lose jobs for our region. The impact on the individual communities, however, will be tremendous. If there is any silver lining in this for Monroeville it is only that they have 2 years and not 2 months to find replacement tenants for the Westinghouse campus. The impact on the hourly jobs arena will be multiplied by a factor of 3. This is how many support jobs could be affected by this move unless mitigated by replacement jobs for Monroeville. One hotel alone is reporting they will lose over 10,000 room nights per year by this loss. Restaurants and retail in the Monroeville area stand to be impacted severely unless government officials can somehow find a solution.
Now for the positive side to this story. Cranberry will not only GAIN over 3,000 high paying jobs (average salary of the positions is $70,000 per year), but now multiply this number by 3 for how many hourly support jobs that will be created. Any employer of hourly people in Cranberry Twp. will tell you it is already almost impossible to find qualified hourly workers in their area. Where will these workers come from? The only possible answer is over a broad region. Butler County, Beaver County, Lawrence County and northern Allegheny County will all benefit greatly. With the prediction that another 1,000 to 2,000 jobs will be created by Westinghouse after the move, the demand increases even more for hourly support. The trickle down will extend to banking, real estate, automotive, healthcare, Office/Clerical and skilled trades. The Marriott North, located adjacent to Cranberry Woods, now look like geniuses. The Pittsburgh region has not seen anything like this in recent memory. It will be like our own local gold rush to the northern tier of our region. Ten’s of thousands of lives will be strongly affected. Far more people will benefit than lose out. Chalk this up to yet another major victory for the Pittsburgh metro. But let’s not forget the work that needs to be done for the Monroeville area!
We have intentionally avoided the topic of our Pittsburgh Penguins search for a new home because, frankly, no jobs angle could be developed until the details of a deal became public. Now that it has, the discussion can begin on just what this will mean for southwest Pennsylvania from a quality of life standpoint (of which employment has a majority stake). Locking the Pens up for 30 years will not only maintain hundreds of direct and thousands of indirectly dependent jobs in the area, its value to our collective psyche is beyond quantification. Most of us know we live in a metro area that has bled a large percentage of our youth to other cities due to the lack of opportunity both real and perceived. Losing the Pens, who’s core audience is the youngest of all professional sports, would have contributed to the perception that our ‘Burgh continues to die a slow death. Having reached the deal to keep them is the single biggest impact, each of the 3 government officials involved, will have on our lives during their careers. Governor Ed Rendell, County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl each deserve high praise on a job well done. The point to all this is the impact for this deal will not only keep and grow hourly jobs in Pittsburgh directly, it will greatly enhance the ability of corporations to recruit professional candidates from outside our area as well as retain those already here, which will indirectly increase the needed hourly support jobs (restaurant, hospitality, healthcare, retail and banking just to name few). The prospect of future hourly employment in the Pittsburgh region, already good, just became better!
It seems our post from Friday is already beginning to look prescient! The Post Gazette this morning reported the Pittsburgh area unemployment rate in January dropped 1/10th of a point to 4.6%, one tenth below the state rate. The big news here was the seperate business payrolls survey which showed more than 11,000 new jobs have been created in the Pittsburgh Metro area (7 county) since January 2006, the largest increase since 2001. If you are a job seeker in the Pittsburgh area it is finally starting to become a seller's market after 6 long years of stagnation. For recruiters in our area this means it is becoming more difficult to fill positions. Turnover, especially in lower paying positions, could increase dramatically over the next year.
We found information from citytowninfo.com that does a super job in summarizing the current Pittsburgh job market. We believe these numbers are from 2005, the most recent totals available. If you’ve ever wondered what a certain career path will mean financially, this is a great place to look. The top half shows local job numbers and median incomes for jobs typically requiring a college degree. The second half of the page shows the same, but for jobs that typically do NOT require a college degree.
In determining who would be this weeks employer of the Week (most number of needs or severity of needs) we turned to the healthcare arena. With healthcare being the largest section in this week’s Employment Guide we felt it was not so much a single company with tremendous needs in the Pittsburgh area but the industry in general! Most of the positions revolve around nursing. It’s well known that the Pittsburgh metro has one of the oldest populations in the country so it makes sense that we also have one of the highest concentrations of nursing homes per capita. This has created a tremendous need for nurses. Allied healthcare positions in high demand include certified nurse assistants, home health aides, dietary aides and activity assistants. Some of the facilities are offering free training programs for non-nursing positions. Pick up this weeks issue of the Employment Guide to find out more.
We have been holding job fairs in the Pittsburgh area now for over 6 years and we’re still amazed at how many employers show up completely unprepared to take advantage of this opportunity for face time with potential candidates.
Just as jobseekers can greatly effect the success they get from a job fair by following the tips listed below, so too can recruiters. Consistently, the companies and recruiters who tell us after an event they did not receive value from a job fair are the ones who sat stone faced behind their table while job seekers streamed by. Don’t be afraid to stand in FRONT of your table. Smile and shake hands. Make eye contact. Remember, you are representing your company to job seekers. The most qualified candidates are going to be choosier about whom they speak with. Be active around your table and engage them!
With that said, job seekers tend to go to job fairs to speak with specific companies they see ahead of time will be there. If you plan on attending a job fair, let potential candidates know ahead of time you will be there. Do not rely solely on the group ad run for a job fair to do this. A job fair is most effective if done as part of a process. Not as a single event. Do your own marketing ahead of time to let job seekers know you will be there. Otherwise, you will end up only speaking to candidates who came to the job fair to speak to someone else! Finally, have a plan in place to set up interviews after the job fair is over. Do not just rely on handing out collateral and hope good candidates will call you later. Show them they are important to you and the better ones will respond.
As a recruiter, following these tips will greatly enhance your job fair experience. We speak today about ROI, return on investment. Our experience has shown that the companies that do not like to do job fairs based on poor past experiences are they ones who failed the most to properly engage job seekers and follow these tips. Doing so will ultimately makes your jobs easier by increasing your likelihood of finding more qualified candidates resulting in less turnover down the road!
The upcoming September to December time period should see that and more. Although paltry from a total percentage standpoint, it is the beginning of what should be decent economic news for at least the next 2 years, barring a major unforeseen shock to the economy.
This weeks Hottest Employer of the Week is the George Delallo Distribution Center in Greensburg, PA. They are seeking an experienced dispatcher and multiple over the road (OTR) Class A drivers. The driver positions are for local deliveries where the driver will be able to be at home daily. For more details on qualifications and how to apply pick up this weeks Employment Guide.
This week’s hottest employer, based on severity of need or number of needs is the all new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Cranberry Twp. With the official grand opening just last week, the new super center is in need of part-time positions in almost every department. Wal-Mart asks that you come into their store at 20245 Route 19, Cranberry Twp, PA 16066 or apply online at www.walmart.com. Or pick up this week's copy of The Employment Guide for more details.
This week’s hottest employer based on immediate need is Xentel, looking for Tele-fundraisers. These are positions work to raise donations for highly visible non-profit and community based organizations. Xentel has 3 offices near Pittsburgh including Greentree, North Huntington and Steubenville, Ohio. They offer complete training so no experience is necessary. Pick up this week’s Employment Guide for more information and details on how you can apply. The Employment Guide can be found at any Advanced Auto Parts, Major Grocery Store, PA CareerLink office, library and over 400 bright green outdoor boxes. This is a great way to make money while helping worthy organizations!
Hourly employment prospects in the Pittsburgh area over the next 3 years have improved dramatically over what we have experienced since 9-11. The list of all the recent announcements that will influence this is long: Westinghouse will move 3,000 employees from Monroeville to Cranberry Twp, then ADD another 1,000 employees, Simon Malls is nearing final approvals on a new Waterfront style mall in Cranberry that will employ over 1,000 people. Another local developer, Don Rogers, who has many successful retail projects already under his belt, has plans for an additional 800,000 square foot office complex around the new Simon Mall property projected to bring yet another 1,000 jobs, the new casino in Pittsburgh will create a projected 1,000 permanent jobs while the casino near the Meadowlands in Washington County will add another 300-400, The new pens arena will not only add many additional construction jobs over the next 2 years but will net out additional hourly positions once completed. On smaller scales but still significant Bayer will hold a grand opening today on a new call center that will add 60 jobs, a German company, Sycor, will add 80 jobs with the move of it’s headquarters to Pittsburgh, Medrad has recently projected the addition of another 100 jobs. The Post Gazette’s Bill Toland wrote a nice article on the impact all the new construction will have on the area over the next 2-3 years.
The decision announced this week by Westinghouse to move their entire Monroeville work force to Cranberry Twp. (25 miles down the PA Turnpike) has created more buzz than the Pittsburgh area has seen in many years – both good and bad. It is important to remember, very little will change for about 2 years. Overall the effect on the region’s job market will be neutral for a year or two after the move occures early in 2009. Moving 3,000 plus employees from Monroeville to Cranberry Township will not by itself add or lose jobs for our region. The impact on the individual communities, however, will be tremendous. If there is any silver lining in this for Monroeville it is only that they have 2 years and not 2 months to find replacement tenants for the Westinghouse campus. The impact on the hourly jobs arena will be multiplied by a factor of 3. This is how many support jobs could be affected by this move unless mitigated by replacement jobs for Monroeville. One hotel alone is reporting they will lose over 10,000 room nights per year by this loss. Restaurants and retail in the Monroeville area stand to be impacted severely unless government officials can somehow find a solution.
We have intentionally avoided the topic of our Pittsburgh Penguins search for a new home because, frankly, no jobs angle could be developed until the details of a deal became public. Now that it has, the discussion can begin on just what this will mean for southwest Pennsylvania from a quality of life standpoint (of which employment has a majority stake). Locking the Pens up for 30 years will not only maintain hundreds of direct and thousands of indirectly dependent jobs in the area, its value to our collective psyche is beyond quantification. Most of us know we live in a metro area that has bled a large percentage of our youth to other cities due to the lack of opportunity both real and perceived. Losing the Pens, who’s core audience is the youngest of all professional sports, would have contributed to the perception that our ‘Burgh continues to die a slow death. Having reached the deal to keep them is the single biggest impact, each of the 3 government officials involved, will have on our lives during their careers. Governor Ed Rendell, County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl each deserve high praise on a job well done. The point to all this is the impact for this deal will not only keep and grow hourly jobs in Pittsburgh directly, it will greatly enhance the ability of corporations to recruit professional candidates from outside our area as well as retain those already here, which will indirectly increase the needed hourly support jobs (restaurant, hospitality, healthcare, retail and banking just to name few). The prospect of future hourly employment in the Pittsburgh region, already good, just became better!
