Jobs

The progressive think tank Keystone Research Center finds that, between 2019 and 2021, pay rose between 5% and 9% for workers whose earnings fall in the bottom third of the state’s wage distribution. All other workers experienced no more than 4% wage growth during the same period.

Workers in the booming warehousing sector say physical strain is a top challenge in the job, according to a new survey. Three in four respondents said they would consider taking a pay cut in exchange for technology that makes their job easier.

The Trade Institute offers masonry courses to people who face barriers to employment such as past incarceration or lacking a high school diploma. Through a year-old initiative, called Project Reach, students have helped to build and renovate homes throughout Allegheny County.

The Digital Foundry at New Kensington unveiled its newly-constructed facility Wednesday. Executive Director Sherri McCleary said her staff will help businesses to adopt new technologies to streamline their operations affordably.

Today’s red-hot labor market has employers recruiting furiously for workers. There’s evidence that businesses across the country have opened up positions to people whose criminal pasts once might have shut them out of jobs.

State data released Thursday shows that the number of people who are employed in the Pittsburgh region has hardly changed since the fall of 2020. However, the local unemployment rate still fell to 5.1% in January because the number of people who are working or looking for work increased by just 1,200.

The number of jobs in the Pittsburgh region continues to fall short of pre-COVID-19 levels. And new federal data shows the deficit is larger than first calculated.

Hiring and staff retention have been challenges for employers across the country, but nonprofits in the Pittsburgh area say limited funding makes them less competitive with for-profit businesses. They note that the threat of COVID-19 also makes workers reluctant to take jobs that involve direct contact with clients.

Federal data shows that layoffs of U.S. workers reached a record low in December, with Pennsylvania-based employees the least likely to lose their jobs. The trend reflects the difficulties businesses face with hiring and retaining workers amid an ongoing labor shortage.

Hiring remains an urgent challenge in manufacturing as plants face increased demand for goods amid the pandemic. Factories are competing harder for workers and raising prices for consumers.