Pa. 'On Track' For Economic Recovery, According to State Workforce Center

Nationally, recovery from the pandemic-induced recession continues, with most measures of economic activity showing improvement over their 2020 extremes, but not yet at pre-pandemic levels, according to the Pa. Department of Labor & Industry’s (L&I’s) Center for Workforce Information and Analysis (CWIA).

The CWIA is Pennsylvania’s hub for local and regional labor-market trends, data analysis and economic insights.

“Pennsylvania is on track for a strong economic recovery from the pandemic-induced recession, but we are not yet back to pre-pandemic 2019 levels,” said Sheila Ireland, L&I’s deputy secretary for workforce development.

For example, as of February 2022:

• The national labor force – the total number of employed workers and unemployed workers actively seeking work – is up 7.6 million from 156.4 million in April 2020, but still down 642,000 from the December 2019 peak of 164.6 million. Pennsylvania’s labor force level is 171,200 below its February 2020 volume of 6.5 million.

• The national number of employed individuals has increased by 7.4 million since February 2021, but is still down 1.1 million from 158.9 million in February 2020. Pennsylvania employment remains 175,200 below its February 2020 volume of 6.2 million.

• The national number of unemployed individuals is up 553,000 from the start of the recession, but down 16.8 million from the all-time high of 23 million in April 2020. While down 717,400 from its April 2020 high of 1.1 million, Pennsylvania’s number of unemployed individuals is slightly above (4,000) its February 2020 level.

• The national unemployment rate is 0.3 percentage points above the February 2020 rate, but down 10.9 percentage points from a recent high of 14.7 percent in April 2020 – which was far below the Great Depression peak of 24.9 percent in 1933. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate is at 5.1 percent – down 11.4 percentage points from the April 2020 high of 16.5 percent.

Inflation is a challenge

“Workforce development professionals and industry partnerships are working hard throughout the Commonwealth to maintain this trajectory. Rising prices, inflation and long-term demographic changes are challenges for Pennsylvania and the nation, but data analysis from the CWIA team empowers all of us to make solid decisions and leverage our resources for positive outcomes,” Deputy Secretary Ireland said.

Workforce development professionals gathered recently in Beaver County for a two-day showcase of services provided by the Department of Labor & Industry’s Center for Workforce Information and Analysis (CWIA).

CWIA’s services include public data dashboards analyzing growing and declining Pennsylvania industries, annual career guides to assist job seekers, localized job postings data, unemployment compensation claims analysis, forecasts of in-demand job skills, monthly employment and jobs data reports and more.

Jobs report is good

The CWIA released its March 2022 jobs report for Pennsylvania showing yet another drop in the Commonwealth’s unemployment rate.

“The CWIA fuels data-driven policy decisions and serves as a critical resource for every workforce development professional who wants to move their community economically forward.

“CWIA’s analyses and reports are available to anyone in Pennsylvania seeking insights into the Commonwealth’s labor market, and I encourage the general public to take advantage of the data and analysis available to them,” Ireland said.

CWIA offers labor-market data for everything from high-level local and state decision-making to its potential for plotting individual career pathways, Ireland said.