Job market in 2023 'optimistic' in Bucks, Montgomery counties

The local job market for 2023 appears to be looking up for job hunters looking to change careers, re-enter the workforce and for those entering the labor force for the first time.

Officials with Bucks and Montgomery counties workforce development departments said they have an “optimistic” outlook for the coming year as unemployment rates dropped to pre-pandemic levels this month with employers across “all industries” looking to hire.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry reported Bucks County’s unemployment rate in December at about 3% and Montgomery County’s rate at just under 3% in December.

Unemployment rates peaked early in 2020, after the coronavirus first hit the commonwealth, at 15.1% for Bucks and 13.7% in Montgomery County.

Dianna Kralle, assistant director of the Bucks County Department of Workforce and Economic Development, said there’s a high demand for workers across the board.

“We are hearing a lot from employers saying, ‘We need people and we need them now, and we need some awareness around our industry,’ but we’re hearing it from every industry,” Kralle said.

Kralle added that “emergency personnel” jobs, like police officers and other emergency workers, are in high demand, as are those in the Department of Corrections with a “significant” number of openings that are difficult to keep filled.

Billie Barnes, executive director at the county’s workforce department, added that health care is another major industry in Bucks facing difficulty rebuilding after the pandemic.

“That was (an industry) that was hit hard, as you can imagine, when the pandemic hit. Specifically, jobs in nursing homes, home health aides, (certified nursing assistants) … it’s just been really difficult for them to rebound and fill those positions,” Barnes said.

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An economic overview report from the county published in the last quarter of 2022 estimates the health care industry employed more people, over 50,000 workers, than any other industry.

The state’s labor and industry listed Doylestown Hospital, St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown and the nonprofit health network Woods Services, also in Middletown, among some of the largest employers in Bucks.

With a high demand for employees, Barnes said the county is taking steps to build on resources like its participation in the state’s CareerLink program to help fill those positions in 2023.

CareerLink is a 2012 initiative started by the labor and industry department and administered through the county with employment resources and training programs for both sides of the job market.

Bucks County’s CareerLink main office, which moved in August to 4800 E. Street Road Suite 50, in Bensalem, has seen a drop in visitors since the pandemic.

“Prior to the pandemic, foot traffic in the CareerLink was high … 21,000 people a year,” Barnes said. “Last I checked, maybe three months ago, we were still down about 50%.”

Barnes said there could be any number of reasons for the dip in traffic, but “if the people won’t come to us, we’ll come to them.”

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The county has partnered with the Bucks County Community College to offer CareerLink services to students, and Barnes said the department is planning a mobile CareerLink station.

Jennifer Butler, deputy director of Workforce Development for the Montgomery County Commerce Department, said a major focus in her county right now is “the next generation” of workers.

The county was already seeing an aging workforce before the pandemic, but the public health crisis likely helped speed up an exit of aging workers.

“If we were talking about this in 2019, we would be having a similar conversation but with a little less urgency,” said Butler, who is also the executive director of the county’s workforce development board, MontcoWorks.

In July 2021, as part of a four-year local plan, MontCoWorks highlighted a need to encourage apprenticeships through employers but also “pre-apprenticeship” job training programs.

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“MontcoWorks offers workforce training and education in the High Priority Occupations within Montgomery County and the surrounding areas. Short-term and long-term training that offers industry-recognized credentials are available and achieved through partnerships with the county’s five vocational-technical schools, Montgomery County Community College, colleges, universities, and training facilities located in and around Montgomery County,” the report notes.

High priority occupations in Montgomery County in 2022 cover more than 120 positions, including software developers, social workers and construction trades.

To help navigate those fields for young workers, MontCoWorks published its first Careers of Tomorrow report this year.

The 32-page report includes skill requirements and salary ranges for market researchers and analysts, pharmacy technicians, electricians and a host of other industries.

Butler added that both Montgomery and Bucks counties are in the process of updating their local employment plans, along with four other southeastern Pennsylvania counties, “to incorporate some of the progress we have made and to continue to plan through post-pandemic recovery.”

Like in Bucks County, Butler recommends job seekers stop by Montgomery County’s CareerLink office at the county’s Human Services Center, on 1430 DeKalb St. in Norristown, or online at www.montcopa.org.

Butler also said that the counties using CareerLink are interconnected, so a resident of either county could visit offices in neighboring counties to get assistance if one office is closer than another.

Bucks County’s CareerLink website can be found under the Workforce and Economic Development webpage on www.buckscounty.gov.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Employment forecast optimistic for Bucks, Montco job market in 2023