Pittsburgh's aging workforce (job openings, live, to move)

[zman63]

I think is due to decades of population losses. What will happen if these companies cannot find workers? I am still not convinced we turned the corner.


Aging workforce may leave manufacturing skills shortage | TribLIVE Mobile

[escilade18]

Aging population is a concern but aren't you contradicting yourself a bit. You have mentioned in other posts that the unemployment rate is high, so wouldn't it make sense for the "droves of unemployed people" to fill the newly opened positions

[Herodotus]

What may be a future concern is this. The large population of people who were past 40, and rode out the collapse of steel are all retired now. The current group of 45-70 year olds, is the group that was devastated by the collapse, which led many to leave town. These are mainly boomers, Generation Jonesers, and early Generation Xers. This is a huge group in most cities, but much smaller here. As a result, there will be way fewer people retiring, and opening up positions for new workers here, compared to most other cities. What effect will this have on the city?

[bradjl2009]

This is happening everywhere now.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

This is happening everywhere now.

Really? Many areas, including places Pittsburghers migrated to in the 1980s, are loaded with Boomers. As the Boomers retire, which they have already started doing, there are job openings for younger people.

[Goinback2011]

These are mainly boomers, Generation Jonesers, and early Generation Xers. This is a huge group in most cities, but much smaller here. As a result, there will be way fewer people retiring, and opening up positions for new workers here, compared to most other cities. What effect will this have on the city?

Absolutely true. It's especially true of those between 55 and 60 today. It's a huge cohort elsewhere that is missing in Pittsburgh.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by escilade18

Aging population is a concern but aren't you contradicting yourself a bit. You have mentioned in other posts that the unemployment rate is high, so wouldn't it make sense for the "droves of unemployed people" to fill the newly opened positions

Well said, and I definitely agree. Also agree with several other posters, especially the one who pointed out that Pittsburgh has fewer retirees than most other cities due to the mass exodus of so many baby boomers in the 70s. If anything, Pittsburgh wants to lure retirees, using the relatively low COL as a draw.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Well said, and I definitely agree. Also agree with several other posters, especially the one who pointed out that Pittsburgh has fewer retirees than most other cities due to the mass exodus of so many baby boomers in the 70s. If anything, Pittsburgh wants to lure retirees, using the relatively low COL as a draw.

Actually, Pittsburgh has a ton of retired people now, as most of the current old folks rode out the economic problems, and did not relocate. It's the group that is now beginning to retire, that was young in the 1980's, and left Pittsburgh in large numbers. Thus, while Pittsburgh has a large population of seniors today, in 20 years the percentage of seniors will be well below what it will be in other cities, as the huge number of people born in the two decades after WWII, swell the number of old folks in other cities.

[Noodlenoggin]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Really? Many areas, including places Pittsburghers migrated to in the 1980s, are loaded with Boomers. As the Boomers retire, which they have already started doing, there are job openings for younger people.

My worry with that, as a Gen-X'er, is that as Boomers retire from the management jobs that I want to move up to...the Boomers still in a company will simply eliminate the empty positions, making the company "leaner" and making themselves look better, so when THEY retire they get a better retirement package.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

Actually, Pittsburgh has a ton of retired people now, as most of the current old folks rode out the economic problems, and did not relocate. It's the group that is now beginning to retire, that was young in the 1980's, and left Pittsburgh in large numbers. Thus, while Pittsburgh has a large population of seniors today, in 20 years the percentage of seniors will be well below what it will be in other cities, as the huge number of people born in the two decades after WWII, swell the number of old folks in other cities.

I agree. It was that group that is now retiring that I was referring to. While you're right that there are plenty of other retirees still in the city, the group that left in the 70s and 80s represented a significant chunk of people who would now be considered retirees. As a result the overall number of retirees in Pittsburgh seems less than in a lot of cities. I'm talking about the younger retirees, it's true, but they're a noticeable segment of the retiree pool.