Poor job growth; what should be done? (Pittsburgh, York: best cities, condo)

[kpoeppel]

According to this article from the "Pittsburgh's Future" blog, the regional economy lags the rest of the nation:
Pittsburgh's Future: Regional Job Growth Continues to Slow

What should be done to improve the local economy? Anyone have any ideas?

[Katiana]

I don't know; it's pretty amazing to me that health care grew at a level below the nat. average

[guylocke]

That website is from a certain blogger that is known in Pittsburgh. It's a topic of hot debate among other Pittsburgh forums and a lot of their "interpretation" has been debunked. I could post you several other blog sites that have a completely different interpretation.

I would DEFINITELY take a blog site with a grain of salt.

However, job growth is extremely important in the region, so your question stands. Our job growth is lackluster compared to many other parts of the country.

[kpoeppel]

Where's a good place to get better facts on job growth? "Pittsburgh's Future" isn't just a blog, it is a "think tank" of sorts that seems fairly objective and nonpartisan as far as I can tell.

More about "Pittsburgh's Future":
About Pittsburgh's Future

[guylocke]

That blog site posts an EXTREMELY dire and malignant picture that really doesn't hold water, to be honest.

Forbes (a much more reputable source than Mr. Blanks blog site) just released their rankings on best cities for future job growth.

Pittsburgh definitely didn't rank spectacularly, but we also were far from the bottom of the barrel.

In fact, here are a few places we outranked for future job growth:

Oakland, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Seattle, WA
Denver, CO
Hartford, CT
Buffalo, NY
New York City, NY
Chicago, IL
Boston, MA
Youngstown, OH
Cleveland, OH
San Francisco, CA
New Orleans, LA
San Jose, CA
Milwaukee, WI

[guylocke]

seems fairly objective and nonpartisan as far as I can tell.

Actually, it's really not. I mean, you can chose to believe it is, but there are actually certain lobbyist in Pittsburgh trying to have that website removed due to what they perceive (and most other regional economists) as misrepresentative and slandering information.

I'm not really sure of the truth in it all.

Here is a link to part of the other website you found.

State of the economy in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania
They go on and on about how job growth in Pittsburgh ISN'T as bad as it seems, including their conclusion:

Conclusion

The Pittsburgh Region’s economy is clearly stronger than it would seem from looking at aggregate employment changes. It provides a good foundation for future growth, if there is appropriate support from the public and private sectors. What can be done to accelerate growth? See the discussion of strategies and list of actions that could increase job growth in the region.

See what I mean?

[guylocke]

Here are some other facts that are important to remember. You can easily google all these to find their truth if you want, I won't be providing every resource.

It is a FACT that new condo’s and in-town living is being built at a record pace with a strong demand
It is a FACT that the vacancy rate in downtown buildings has been steadily declining for several years
It is a FACT that Pittsburgh has had millions of dollars in surplus for several years
It is a FACT that our local Universities across the board have record enrollment
It is a FACT that we have a higher graduate/attachment rate than the national average
It is a FACT that we have a very slow-but-steady housing market
It is a FACT that the retail market in Pittsburgh is booming compared to the nation
It is a FACT that the prepared foods market in Pittsburgh is expanding rapidly
It is a FACT that Pittsburgh is a world leader in technologies and industries of the future
It is a FACT that the Pittsburgh industry sector has seen recent expansion
It is a FACT that homes in Pittsburgh between half a million and a million dollars are selling faster than ever
It is a FACT that Pittsburgh has more green buildings than any other city in America
It is a FACT that our most powerful industries have seen record revenue and growth recently
It is a FACT that some of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and downtown are going through a fairly dramatic renaissance
It is a FACT that Pittsburgh has more foreign and national investment than its had in decades
It is a FACT that Pittsburgh has more construction and renovation going on currently than any other comparably sized city in America with 3 to 4 billion dollars worth

People who don’t think this is all a testament to the local people, economy, and future outlook, are crazy.

Like you said, though, there is more work to be done, because here are some other facts.

It is a FACT that Western Pennsylvania still has a decreasing population
It is a FACT that local job growth has remained slow
It is a FACT that Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania provide a relatively poor atmosphere for business
It is a FACT that taxes in Pittsburgh are too high (in my opinion) :P

[RockLobster]

DeSantis for Mayor would be a positive step for making the city more buisness friendly. One of his top goals.

[kpoeppel]

Originally Posted by guylocke

Actually, it's really not. I mean, you can chose to believe it is, but there are actually certain lobbyist in Pittsburgh trying to have that website removed due to what they perceive (and most other regional economists) as misrepresentative and slandering information.

I'm not really sure of the truth in it all.

Here is a link to part of the other website you found.

State of the economy in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania
They go on and on about how job growth in Pittsburgh ISN'T as bad as it seems, including their conclusion:

See what I mean?

Right..."Pittsburgh's Future" posted good news as well as bad, which is why I figured it wasn't too biased in one direction (like Allegheny Institute, which has a lot of information, but seems very partisan).

[kpoeppel]

Pittsburgh does have a low cost of living since the big housing bubble fiasco didn't hit western PA. That's probably one of it's greatest attractions for businesses, IMO. A business could pay their employees half as much as in CA, NJ, DC and still give them the same quality of life. Maybe the Pittsburgh region needs a clever marketing slogan like "Pittsburgh: Home of Bubble-Free Housing" or something.