Page 12 - SKILLS - 2023

WHAT’S NEW IN SKILLS
We Need You
Westchester Employers Are Looking for Talent
BY DAVID LEVINE
10 2023 SKILLS
What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.
Where have all the workers gone? That’s a question employers across the country — and in Westchester — are asking.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are more than 10 million
job openings in the U.S. — but only 5.7 million unemployed workers. Since the height of the pandemic, when more than 120,000 businesses temporarily closed and more than 30 million U.S. workers were out of work, job openings have steadily risen and unemployment has slowly declined. In 2022, employers added an “unprecedented” 4.5 million jobs, the Chamber reports.
But millions of Americans have been leaving
the labor force. This began before the pandemic, but accelerated with the post-COVID “Great Resignation.” Today, there are nearly 3 million fewer Americans participating in the labor force than there were in February 2020, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Accordingly, employers in Westchester County are experiencing a worker shortage and struggling to fill positions. “There are gaps across the board in every sector, from construction to hospitality to advanced manufacturing,” says Westchester County’s Director of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons.
The lower Hudson Valley region’s unemployment numbers are at historical lows — just 2.5% in December 2022, lower than the state average of
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