Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, more than 233,000 newly unemployed Philadelphians—approximately 30% of the city’s labor force—have filed initial
The following charts explore the effects of the local COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent City shutdown on Philadelphia’s Workforce. Data is drawn from several sources as noted.
Philadelphia city experienced an increase in employment to 688,375 – an increase of 5,901 more employed from the previous month. The unemployment rate was 4.9 percent. Over 35,000 individuals were unemployed in Philadelphia in February 2019.
A very conservative measure of Working Poor still finds more than 53,000 residents struggling to make ends meet.
Philadelphia is located on the Northeast corridor between Washington D.C. and New York City, and belongs to a larger metropolitan statistical area composed of eleven counties in four states (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA).
Philadelphia city experienced an increase in employment to 674,290– an increase of over 10,937 more employed from the previous month. The unemployment was 5.2 percent. Over 37,000 individuals were unemployed in Philadelphia in September 2018.
The majority of working Philadelphians are in low-skill jobs.
Learn about job opening in Philadelphia County with a breakdown of job openings vs. unemployed individuals in Philadelphia County.
The occupations held by Philadelphians has changed significantly in the last 40 years. These shifts from manufacturing production, extraction, and labor in transportation and machine operations declined significantly, while occupations in professional and service-related industries notably increased.
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