Pittsburgh Labor Shortage

Looking for work? Pittsburgh would like to meet with you. Hot off the presses, the March jobs numbers for the United States are out. One of the anecdotes used to flesh out the story comes from Pittsburgh:

At the Western Area Career and Technology Center in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, about 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, the job placement rate is 94 percent.

Some companies in the region, home to an energy boom related to shale gas drilling, are starting to compete for workers, Joseph Iannetti, the school’s director said April 4. Enrollment at the campus in Canonsburg, typically less than 400 students, is 430 this year, he said.

“We’re about to go into a really nice labor shortage here,” he said. “We’re seeing increasing demand for people with skill.”

The looming "labor shortage" is developing in a climate of relatively strong migration to Pittsburgh. The region isn't having a problem absorbing the influx of new residents. The real estate market also reflects the strong jobs growth. But people can't move to Pittsburgh fast enough to fill the openings.

Looking at the big picture, the US economic recovery is accelerating. Geographic mobility should be picking up. Pittsburgh inmigration will get stronger. The boom times are here.