Alle-Kiski Valley job openings increasing

Job openings across the Alle-Kiski Valley are on the rise, data show.

PA CareerLink Alle-Kiski reported a four-week rolling average of more than 250 job openings in the region this month, up from 225 a month ago.

When last month’s number was reported, officials said it was the highest number of openings in recent memory.

“We are cautiously optimistic that with the lessening of pandemic restrictions, more people are beginning to look for work,” said Rick O’Domes, site administrator for PA CareerLink Alle-Kiski.

“That, coupled with the stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits probably coming to an end soon, we have seen an uptick in the number of people coming into the CareerLink looking for work,” he said.

One of the local businesses seeking workers, RIC Coatings along New Kensington’s Constitution Boulevard, is recruiting new employees for the company’s production facility. It is looking for at least 15 new employees for jobs with starting pay rates ranging from $10 to 18 an hour, said company President Dominick Romeo.

RIC applies its coatings to a range of products from cars, windows and construction materials to high-end department store building materials and more.

“There’s a lot of opportunities where I’m at,” Romeo said. “We have more work than we can possibly do.”

RIC is attracting customers from around the country and internationally, he said.

While some of the production work might be repetitious, Romeo said, the jobs vary and RIC’s coatings come in an array of bright colors. Romeo added that he is an equal opportunity employer in the truest sense.

“I’m trying to give people a chance to work — people working toward their GEDs or someone who has a criminal background that deserves a second chance,” he said.

Prospective employees can apply for jobs by calling Romeo at 724-859-9254 or sending an email to dominick@riccoatings.com.

CareerLink Alle-Kiski serves residents in 28 local ZIP codes in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

To search for jobs, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Labor’s CareerLink Alle-Kiski.

A sample of the current openings:

• Inside sales representative, Schaedler Yesco Distribution, O’Hara.
• Truck driver, Air Products, East Deer.
• Field service technician, Zampogna, Arnold.
• General laborer, Packaging Corp. of America, Cheswick.
• Precision surface grinder, Pennsylvania Precision Products, Vandergrift.
• Registered nurse, Davita, New Kensington.
• Medical billing specialist, ZOLL Medical Corp., O’Hara.
• Manager, key accounts and business development, VITRO Flat Glass, Harmar.