HEARING FINDINGS Philadelphia continues to see strong job growth in certain industries and economic sectors. In order to recover from the economic impacts of Covid-19, it is imperative that the City helps put people back to work and staves off future economic downturns by strategically building strong workforce pipelines into growing industries. During the initial lockdown, from March 16, 2020 until May 31, 2020, initial unemployment claims rose 1273% compared to the previous year.2 In addition, 50.8% of those who filed an initial unemployment claim during this period were 34 years old or younger.3 While many areas of the economy suffered, Pat Clancy, President and CEO of Philadelphia Works, testified that warehouse, computer and IT, mental health, and medical jobs are on the rise in Philadelphia.4 Philadelphia Works is capitalizing on the growth of some of these sectors. For example, they partnered with the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to begin construction on a new automotive and advanced manufacturing training facility in West Philadelphia.5 Investing in the industries identified in Philadelphia Works’ research can aid Philadelphia in improving career opportunities for residents and creating a skilled workforce that makes the City more attractive to employers. More collaboration and partnerships with employers are needed to increase opportunities for School District of Philadelphia students. The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) has a number of industry partners which they highlighted during their presentation (slide below). These partners offer workplace experience for students.
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Jobless Report. Philadelphia Works. Published June 10, 2020. Accessed on February 8, 2021. https://www.philaworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Jobless-Brief.pdf p. 2. Id. p. 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAaj7ayU8zQ&t=10s at 11:03; Patrick Clancy: Transcript p. 13. Id.
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