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Perspectives

Pittsburgh Perspectives  

Archive List Link to PEQ
Friday, April 05, 2024  12:00 PM  (63)

Regional Labor Force Shifts Since the Onset of COVID-19

Similar to labor markets across the nation, employment levels in the Pittsburgh region contracted sharply with the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020. Though national employment levels have regained COVID-induced job losses, the Pittsburgh region employment levels remain below peaks reached prior to 2020.  By various measures, employment in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area* (MSA) as of the spring of 2024 remains 10-25 thousand below comparable levels reached before the onset of Covid.

However, these overall shifts in employment levels mask significant changes taking place within the Pittsburgh region’s labor force in recent years. Employment changes have not been even across age, race, gender and educational attainment. Here data is compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) data to explore the changing characteristics of Pittsburgh region employment over a four-year period from the 2nd quarter of 2019 – before the onset of Covid – to the 2nd Quarter of 2023.

Per this QWI data, total employment in the Pittsburgh MSA as of the 2nd quarter of 2023 remained roughly 11,061, or 1.0%, below total employment in the 2nd quarter of 2019. By age, the largest decline in regional employment is for workers between the ages of 45 and 64. Over the four-year period workers in this age range declined by 27,497, a decline of 6.6%.  There was a smaller decline of 7,913 (-3.4%) for workers between the ages of 25 and 34.  The number of regional workers between the ages of 35 and 44, as well as workers aged 65 and over, both increased over this period. The number of Pittsburgh-region workers age 65 and over continues to increase and had the largest percentage gain over this period, increasing by 11,154 or just under 15%. 

Employment changes within the Pittsburgh region have differed significantly by race since the onset of COVID. Over the four-year period, White-alone employment decreased by 23,378, or a decline of 2.5%. At the same time Black-alone employment increased by 4,432 (+5.0%), and Asian-alone employment increased by 4,218 (+14.4%). With the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, Black employment in the Pittsburgh region had initially declined by a greater percentage than the regional average and significantly more than the number of White-alone workers. However, since 2022 employment levels for Black workers in the Pittsburgh MSA have rebounded above pre-Covid levels.     

 

 

By educational attainment, the number of employed workers with just a high school degree experienced the largest decline in the Pittsburgh MSA, contracting by 12,915 or a decline of -4.6% over the four-year period. Workers with some college or an associate’s degrees experienced a smaller decline of 3,391 (-1.2%). Over this same period, workers with less than a high school degree increased by 2,237, an increase of 2.4%, while workers with a bachelor's degree or higher increased by 2,306, or a gain of 0.9%.

The QWI employment data presented here is produced via a federal-state data-sharing collaboration—the Local Employment Household Dynamics (LEHD) partnership—and publishes data on employment dynamics and workers’ characteristics for counties and metropolitan areas. The QWI is a unique source of data on worker demographics, including detailed employment breakdowns by sex, age, education, race, and ethnicity.

Change in Employment between 2019Q2 and 2023Q2 – Pittsburgh MSA

 

2019Q2

2023Q2

Change 2019Q2-2023Q2

Total Employment

1,064,186

1,053,126

-11,060

-1.0%

         

By Age Group

       

Under 25

128,329

129,030

701

0.5%

25-34

235,871

227,958

-7,913

-3.4%

35-44

207,516

220,010

12,494

6.0%

45-64

417,545

390,048

-27,497

-6.6%

65-99

74,925

86,079

11,154

14.9%

         

By Race

       

White Alone

928,799

905,421

-23,378

-2.5%

Black or African American Alone

88,793

93,225

4,432

5.0%

American Indian or Alaska Native Alone

2,003

2,404

401

20.0%

Asian Alone

29,251

33,469

4,218

14.4%

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Alone

656

731

75

11.4%

Two or More Race Groups

14,684

17,876

3,192

21.7%

         

By Gender

       

Male

544,005

534,132

-9,873

-1.8%

Female

520,181

518,993

-1,188

-0.2%

         

By Educational Attainment

       

Less than high school

92,897

95,134

2,237

2.4%

High school or equivalent, no college

281,576

268,661

-12,915

-4.6%

Some college or Associate degree

293,903

290,512

-3,391

-1.2%

Bachelor's degree or advanced degree

267,482

269,788

2,306

0.9%

*  Data here reflects employment in a seven-county definition of the Pittsburgh MSA. This definition of the Pittsburgh MSA includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. Lawrence County was added to the definition of the Pittsburgh MSA in 2023, but the data here does not yet reflect that change.




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