Pittsburgh hiring for labor, other jobs frozen amid pandemic budget cuts

Pittsburgh has begun hiring for a slew of labor-related positions that have gone unfilled under a pandemic-driven hiring freeze for more than a year, officials said Thursday.

Around $22 million from the money the city received from the American Rescue Plan has gone to restore around 100 jobs that have been vacant since at least May 2020, according to Mayor Bill Peduto’s office.

Amid the growing pandemic, the city put in place a hiring freeze on vacant positions, a move that was meant to save money and avoid layoffs. At the time, Peduto said that not hiring for 64 open positions would save the city around $3 million in salaries.

“All services that city government provides are essential for the safety and well-being of the people of Pittsburgh and throughout the pandemic, our staff have been doing more work with less people,” Peduto said in a statement.

The $22 million was set aside as part of Peduto’s five-year spending plan for the $335 million in federal relief allocated to the city through the American Rescue Plan. Another $112 million will go to avoid potential layoffs that were originally outlined in the 2021 city budget. Another $5 million will undo the wage freeze that was also in effect.

Open positions will be listed on the city’s jobs website and range from bricklayers to project engineers:

• Bricklayers
• Carpentry Foreman
• Electrician
• Facilities Associate Project Managers and Project Managers
• Heavy Equipment Repair Specialists
• HVAC Technician
• Laborers
• Plumber
• Truck Drivers and a Special Operator
• Laborers
• Project Engineer
• Staff Engineers