Finding the right talent and keeping its workforce’s skills up-to-date are essential to the success of any business. The Lehigh Valley is committed to understanding the needs of employers related to the attraction, development, and retention of talent and the challenges facing them in a rapidly changing economy.
2022 Talent Study Report
LVEDC and Workforce Board Lehigh Valley commissioned Lehigh Valley, Pa.'s third comprehensive regional talent study to ensure a continued understanding of the evolving needs of Lehigh Valley employers and changes such as remote work and hybrid schedules that became more common starting in 2020. This third study built on previous research conducted in 2015 and 2018 exploring talent gaps and needs of the regional labor market.
The most recent study culminated in a strategic action plan, released in March 2022, that guides future efforts in fortifying the talent pipeline, which includes attracting, developing, and retaining the workforce that drives the regional economy.
Education & Talent Supply Report 2018
The 2018 talent study, which continued the partnership between LVEDC and Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, sought a deeper understanding of five key job sectors: Advanced Manufacturing; Health Care; High-value Business Services; Life Sciences; and Transportation, Warehousing and Logistics. The sectors were chosen based on employment levels at the time or potential for employment growth in the future. Employers were interviewed and surveyed to uncover the most in-demand skills, occupations, and talent gaps in the region. The findings culminated in a report with recommendations that would be the most impactful on the region’s talent pipeline.
As a result of this research, five working groups were created and facilitated by LVEDC with areas of concentration including: employability skills; career pathways; attracting, recruiting and retaining the next generation of talent; internships; and talent research.
Bridging the Workforce Gap (2015)
LVEDC’s nationally award-winning Talent Initiative was born out of a July 2015 study called “Bridging the Workforce Gap,” conducted, in partnership with Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, by Oxford Economics and EMSI, which assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the Lehigh Valley's workforce and provided key strategies on how to address them. The study recommended convening a regional group in an unprecedented partnership including schools, employers, and economic development and workforce agencies. This group, which became the Lehigh Valley Education and Talent Supply Council, held its inaugural meeting in November 2015. The council prioritized regional research, cross-sector collaboration, and innovations to bolster the talent pipeline.
