July 12, 2024
Governor Shapiro and the leadership and members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly have taken major steps to re-energize the state's economy in the new budget passed yesterday with bi-partisan support. It includes $400 million for PA SITES, Gov. Shapiro's new program to help create the industrial and commercial sites needed to attract new companies and jobs to the commonwealth. Just as significantly, it includes major steps to modernize the state process for issuing environmental approvals. These changes will create a more streamlined process that will protect the environment but allow business to move at the speed necessary if Pennsylvania is going to compete in the global economy.
These improvements are particularly important for Southwest Pennsylvania, which has lagged behind other areas of the state as well as competing regions in recent years. Over the past five years, the Pittsburgh metro region has lost 1.9% of its jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, Pennsylvania has grown jobs by 1.5% and Ohio grew by 0.9%. The Columbus and Cincinnati metro areas have gained 4.3% and 3.6%, respectively. Even the Cleveland region has lost jobs at a slower rate than Pittsburgh (-1.4%).
Money for site development and modernizing the permitting process, along with cutting the corporate net income tax, were the top priorities in the Pennsylvania Opportunity Agenda that Pittsburgh Works Together unveiled in 2022 and shared with then-Candidate Shapiro and state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The businesses and organized labor unions that make up Pittsburgh Works know that working together is the only way to create more economic opportunity for residents of the Commonwealth, and we commend our elected house members and senators from both sides of the aisle for embracing that same spirit to get things done.
Pittsburgh Works Together is a business-organized labor-workforce-economic development alliance working to grow jobs and expand the industries that are the foundation of our economy, including energy, manufacturing, and construction, to provide opportunity for all residents. To learn more, please visit pghworks.com.
Ken Zapinski
412-352-4364; ken@pghworks.com
