In July 2024, the Lancaster Chamber hosted our Northeast/Northwest Consortium on labor market trends.

EDC Lancaster County and the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board partnered to conduct an analysis of labor force trends in Lancaster County, analyzing broader labor market trends and key data points from the past year. After receiving a comprehensive overview of the facts and figures, both organizations shared business resources that can help us prepare for the workforce needs of tomorrow. Here are some key takeaways from the events:

• As the labor force grows, employers are able to be slightly more selective, yet job seekers continue to hold on to a lot of agency.
• The age breakdown of Lancaster County residents is shifting older, which has implications for certain industries like manufacturing and healthcare.
• About 65% of Lancaster County residents work in the county, and about 35% commute to work outside the county.

You can check out the Center for Regional Analysis’ quarterly Economic Intelligence Reports here to learn more about the state of our local economy. The Workforce Development Board offers funding and support for local businesses, covering costs for paid internships, on-the-job training and upskilling, and apprenticeship programs. Review their workforce solutions here! 

We’d like to express our gratitude to our sponsor, Bizcorp, as well as our host, Landis Communities.

The slide deck used during the event can be found below along with the option to download it. If you’d like to continue the conversation, you can reach out directly to Rae Ann Miller at ramiller@edclancaster.com or Anna Ramos at aramos@lancastercountywib.com.

In addition, please take our childcare survey! It takes less than 3 minutes and will provide us critical insight into the needs of our community. Employers access here. Parents access here.

Also, check out these business-education partnership opportunities to help address workforce challenges! 

• Discovering Paths: The Lancaster Chamber’s Discovering Paths Mentoring Program inspires, guides, and empowers high school juniors as they consider their next steps. Through one-on-one mentoring relationships with professionals across Lancaster County, critical business and industry connections, and experiential learning, the Discovering Paths Mentoring Program strengthens pathways for students within the Lancaster community. Learn more about the Discovering Paths Mentoring Program and apply here!
• Inspire Lancaster: The Lancaster County STEM Alliance and the Lancaster Chamber have teamed up to create and implement a work-based learning platform for employers, schools, students, and families in Lancaster County. This innovative project addresses one of the greatest challenges related to business and education partnerships: efficiently and effectively matching employers with schools and students who are interested in specific work-based learning experiences such as apprenticeships, internships, job shadowing, company tours, and mentoring opportunities. Learn more and add your business here!

For more information on our Consortiums, our Partners or any Advocacy business with the Lancaster Chamber, please contact Katharine DeSantis, kdesantis@lancasterchamber.com

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