Available jobs still outpacing job seekers in Pittsburgh region

Pittsburgh area employers are clamoring to get in front of job seekers because they continue to have trouble filling open jobs.

Demand from employers is so great, CareerLink Alle-Kiski in New Kensington had to add a second job fair to its schedule because it couldn’t fit all of the companies that want to participate in a May 12 event.

“It’s still a job seekers’ market,” said Phil Grove, account representative for CareerLink. The Alle-Kiski program will hold a second fair in June; details are pending.

“Company HR professionals continue to work on how to reconfigure pay and benefits to continue to be competitive in the markets,” Grove said.

The labor problems in the Pittsburgh area persist because the region’s labor force hasn’t rebounded from the covid-19 pandemic.

“Nationally, the labor force has completely recovered, but Pittsburgh is doing a lot worse,” said Gus Faucher, PNC’s chief economist.

“The employment climate is the most daunting we have ever faced,” said Joseph Valero, CEO of Valero Service Inc. of Delmont, which specializes in vehicle manufacturing and fleet maintenance.

“Finding all the different highly skilled employees from mechanics, carpenters, fabricators and electricians is a monumental task,” he said. “I do not know from where the next generation of skilled employees will develop.”

MSI Corp. of Vandergrift, a specialty metals producer, scheduled interviews for two prospective employees earlier this week. They didn’t show up, owner Henry “Duke” McLaughlin said.

Others didn’t pass the physical exam, specifically the drug test.

“If three candidates walked through the doors, I would hire them — pending their physicals,” he said. “We got to do something different to find those new employees.”

Not enough workers — long-term problem in region

Just before the covid-19 pandemic, in February 2020, the civilian labor force in the United States – which includes employed workers and people looking for work — stood at 164 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Its latest numbers, for March 2022, show that, after job losses during the pandemic, the overall U.S. labor force rebounded to the pre-pandemic levels, according to Karl Kever, an economist for the mid-Atlantic region of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But not in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, where, during the same period, the region remains short by about 46,000 workers compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the bureau’s latest statistics.

In February 2020 in the Pittsburgh area, there were 1,217,173 people in the workforce compared to 1,171,516 reported in March 2022.

The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Some of the labor issues in the Pittsburgh area are decades-old problems such as the decline in population and an older workforce.

Older workers decided to retire because of the health risks posed by the pandemic, PNC’s Faucher said. Additionally, parents of school-age children dropped out of the workforce, and some people who received stimulus payments didn’t return to work quickly.

“It appears we are seeing some of these folks return to work, but the impact has been modest,” Faucher said.

Solutions include businesses raising pay to lure back early retirees and parents strapped with child care issues, including availability and expenses, he said. The end of the pandemic also would help. Potential workers with heath concerns would feel more comfortable returning, he said.

“Over the long run, we need stronger population growth in the area,” Faucher said. “So, there is a shortage of workers in general, and that will be with us as a long-term trend. It’s going to take some time.”

Job fairs

CareerLink tries to cover a mix of employers, from road construction to health care to manufacturing.

For the May 12 job fair, CareerLink will showcase 10 companies and one staffing agency.

They are Smithfield Foods, Trufood, Swank Construction, Platinum Ridge nursing and rehabilitation center, the FedEx supply chain warehouse in Blawnox, Weleski Transfer, Omni Electric, Allied Security, JK Tool & Die, Inc., Presbyterian Senior Care and Gregg Staffing Solutions.

Westmoreland Assists Native Talent (WANT) will host a Job and Career Expo on May 18 at the Westmoreland County Community College’s Student Achievement Center in Youngwood.

The WANT fair will include many regional employers accepting resumes and applications.

Omni Electric in New Kensington is hiring for a range of positions at the Alle-Kiski fair.

“The construction trades are in high demand,” said owner Gregory Riggatire. “Work is steady and will continue to be steady.”

The company is hiring residential and commercial electricians, helpers and journeymen, Riggatire said.

The pay range for helpers is $14-$17 an hour; electricians, $17-$20; and journeymen electricians, $20-$24. The jobs are full time and, for the most part, local.

“The ideal employee would be honest, accountable, dependable, willing to learn and able to work well with others,” Riggatire said.