Business leaders are looking for new ways to create jobs and staff them.It s part of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry s Bringing PA Back initiative. We want a more competitive Pennsylvania, said Gene Barr, the chamber s president and CEO.Business leaders plan to poll Pennsylvanians to find solutions to what they call a crisis. They point to the commonwealth losing a congressional seat following the census, as more young people leave for better jobs elsewhere. I think we re making strides on that through the governor s workforce development, Barr said. But the pandemic hurt some businesses, initially with closures and occupancy limits and now with trouble finding workers. There is no industry that’s immune. Every business leader that I talked to, really across all sectors, is looking for talent right now, said Nick Bertram, president and CEO of the Giant Company.Blame for staffing shortages is being placed on extended federal unemployment benefits, low wag
The minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 in Pennsylvania since 2009 and President Joe Biden wants to more than double it.
Biden recently signed an executive order to promote a $15 minimum wage for federal workers and contractors. His push to raise it to $15 for everyone in the U.S. is drawing mixed reaction.
Advocates like Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf have pushed for a higher minimum wage for years and say itâs long overdue to bring people out of poverty.
Critics like Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry officials, however, argue raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would slow economic recovery in a pandemic and lead to increased labor costs and job losses.