I grew up in a Philadelphia where each generation had greater opportunity than the one before—and where working-class people could have fulfilling lives. One of my grandfathers was a longshoreman, the other a postman. Both were able to provide for their families and buy homes in neighborhoods that were safe and rich in social connections. And their children, including my mom and dad, had the same opportunities: They made enough money to own their own homes and give their children, including me, the chance to go to college.
Today, however, too many people in Philadelphia and across Southeastern Pennsylvania lack access to middle-wage jobs: the kind that offer benefits, room for advancement, and pay that can sustain a family and are obtainable without a college degree. These types of jobs allowed my parents to move into the middle class—and their children to do even better.
At The Pew Charitable Trusts, we’ve sharpened our focus on enhancing this kind of upwardly mobile path toward economic opportunity—a focus that resulted from research done in the early stages of the post-pandemic recovery.
Our researchers looked at the types of jobs that were created in Philadelphia in the years just before COVID, a time when the city had relatively strong job growth. The analysis showed that despite this growth, there was no net increase in the number of middle-wage jobs. That leaves many Philadelphians today with no real options other than low-wage jobs with little prospect of advancement. If this trend continues, the city’s economy will fail far too many residents.
That’s why Pew and several partners have come together to tackle these issues and collectively strengthen the resilience of the regional economy and its ability to adapt to changing circumstances. This work, which began two years ago, is entering a critical stage—and has me reflecting on how powerful our region’s civic sector can be when its members work together.
With support from Pew, leaders of five key economic and workforce development organizations—the city of Philadelphia, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, Visit Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Works Inc.—convened to chart a path forward that could be sustained beyond the next political cycle. Real progress depends on alignment among these co-sponsor organizations. And so members of the group rolled up their collective sleeves and got to work.
Since the group’s beginning two years ago, the co-sponsors have been laying the groundwork for progress. Key to their deliberations was understanding that the work needed input and buy-in from other organizations throughout the private and public sectors. This support has come from a 20-member steering committee informed by input from 75 stakeholder organizations.
These conversations and consultations produced consensus around two key goals directly related to the shortage of the kinds of jobs that offer not only family-sustaining wages and benefits but also opportunities for personal growth and advancement.
One goal is to build a stronger and more dynamic regional economy—in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, as well as in Philadelphia—which is essential for creating quality jobs. Business, jobs, and workers are regional; these five counties account for 40% of the state’s economy. And the region still has enormous untapped potential.
The second goal is to support our region’s employers. They need streamlined access to the resources that help build pathways to quality jobs, making those jobs available to people who sometimes are seen as not having the right credentials. But the current workforce development system is simply too complicated to attract, prepare, connect, and advance local talent.
Regional leaders from economic development organizations in all five counties came to the table, committed to charting a new course to improve their collective efficiency and effectiveness through a shared regional growth agenda. To undergird this effort and point it in the right direction, we partnered with the Brookings Metro program, part of a Washington-based think tank that has been analyzing the economies of metropolitan areas for many years. The program has done work in Pittsburgh and produced a statewide analysis of Pennsylvania’s innovation infrastructure.
In the coming weeks, Brookings will issue an assessment of the regional economy and an analysis highlighting the sectors that seem to hold the most promise for producing the quality jobs the region needs. There will be convenings and conversations, both public and private, to discuss how to turn the findings into actionable strategies. Then it will be time for stakeholders to agree on a path forward.
I want to stress Pew’s deep commitment to this work. We will continue to convene and support the organizations and leaders working to create a more vibrant and equitable region for all its residents. As I know from my own experience, nothing could be more important.
Donna Frisby-Greenwood is a senior vice president at The Pew Charitable Trusts.