Page 8 - Career Fair April 2022
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The Lehigh Valley is leading Last year, the Lehigh Valley – e-commerce — amid social
Pennsylvania’s job recovery from added the most in a single distancing protocols.
the sharp economic downturn calendar year since at least Manufacturing, which took
caused by the pandemic 1990. Employment in the metro an initial hit due to the in-
two years ago and is tracking region climbed to 383,100 person nature of the industry,
ahead of the national recovery, in March. Employment had was among the first sectors in
according to newly released dropped to a low of 308,100 in the Lehigh Valley to recover.
data measuring the percentage April 2020. The Lehigh Valley’s Employment was 41,000
of employment recovered. strong recovery is rooted in jobs in March, exceeding
In January, the Lehigh Valley a balanced economy that pre-pandemic employment.
became the first metropolitan had posted a record Gross Lehigh Valley manufacturers
region in Pennsylvania to Domestic Product on the eve produced an economic output
regain more than 90% of the of the pandemic, according of $7.9 billion, launching
jobs lost since April 2020 amid to George Lewis, LVEDC the region into a Top 50 U.S.
business disruptions and Vice President of Marketing, market in 2020 despite the
shutdowns aimed at stemming Communications & Research. drop in employment.
the spread of COVID-19, “The Lehigh Valley Makers of non-durable
according to data analyzed experienced robust job goods, such as food and
by the Center for Workforce growth in the years leading many medical supplies, saw
Information & Analysis at the up to the pandemic bigger employment gains in
Pennsylvania Department of because of strong economic that sector over the last two
Labor & Industry. fundamentals– diversified years — 1,400 jobs beyond
Preliminary data for March industries, a strategic what it had in the onset of
A Special Advertising Section of The Morning Call
indicate that Lehigh Valley location in the Northeast, the pandemic, according to
recovered 98.4% of the jobs lost. and a talented work force. preliminary data from the U.S.
Nationwide, 92.8% of jobs were COVID did not change those Bureau of Labor Statistics.
recovered and statewide 83% fundamentals,” Lewis said. “We saw in January
in March, according to a Lehigh “Once the pandemic-induced [2021] things starting
Valley Economic Development business disruptions abated, to pick back up, and it’s
Corporation (LVEDC) analysis of we saw our economy pick up going gangbusters,” Shelly
federal data. in a very meaningful way.”
McWilliams, President of
The Lehigh Valley was Not all industry sectors Lehigh Valley Plastics, said
among the top five regions in recovered at the same rate. during a virtual forum last
| the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, Employment in the retail and year. “We’re making as many
2022, 28 April, Thursday New Jersey, and Delaware) in hospitality sectors is still below parts as fast as we can, trying
what it was at the beginning
terms of employment growth
to hire people and to meet this
demand that is out here. It’s
of the pandemic. Those losses
over the last year, according
the switch.”
of Philadelphia.
employment for the new retail
8 to the Federal Reserve Bank are blunted by the increase of been a complete flip of
