Philadelphia Works

Philadelphia’s labor market held steady in July.

The labor force grew slightly, while total employment was virtually unchanged. The number of unemployed residents rose modestly, leaving the unemployment rate at 4.9% for the second consecutive month.

Here’s the July 2026 snapshot:

👥 802,370 Total Labor Force
↑ 190 from June

💼 762,953 Total Employment
↓ 15 from June

📊 4.9% Unemployment Rate
No change from June

🔎 39,417 Total Unemployed
↑ 205 from June

Philadelphia Works continues to monitor these trends and connect residents and employers with the resources they need to navigate our evolving labor market. Follow along with monthly labor market conditions here: https://philaworks.org/current-labor-market-conditions/

Skills-based hiring, apprenticeships, career fairs, and training programs create opportunities for job seekers to demonstrate their capabilities and overcome barriers to employment.

As this Philadelphia Tribune article highlights, employment has grown across the region, but Black and brown residents continue to face disparities in accessing opportunity. Expanding these pathways can help employers look beyond lengthy resumes and conventional experience to recognize candidates’ skills, potential, and readiness to contribute.

Philadelphia Works and our partners are working to close these gaps—helping employers discover overlooked talent while connecting more Philadelphians to meaningful, family-sustaining careers.

Read the full article in The Philadelphia Tribune here: https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/philly-area-job-growth-rises-but-barriers-persist-for-black-workers/article_6a2a3144-93dc-4333-9043-52bad436678b.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Philly-area job growth rises, but barriers persist for Black workers Ambi Gamble has certifications in medical assisting and phlebotomy, but after more than two years of looking for work, the North Philadelphia resident keeps hearing the same response: she lacks

Three decades ago, William Bowie was a kid in the Richard Allen homes in North Philadelphia. Today he is President and CEO of a nine-figure construction company.

The Philadelphia Inquirer told that story this morning. What I want to name is the part that should matter to everyone in workforce development: the bridge between those two facts was an apprenticeship.

Not a lucky break. Not a shortcut. A structured pathway that let him earn while he learned, build a trade, and turn skill into ownership.

But there is a second bridge in this story. When William went to launch Empower Construction, LLC, with two decades of experience and a $300 million book of business behind him, the banks still said no.

What changed the answer was not a better application. It was one phone call from a mentor: Daniel Fitzpatrick, CFA, Chair of our Board of Directors.

That is not a feel-good story. That is the entire premise of the work we do at Philadelphia Works, Inc. every day, through Apprenticeship PHL, and it is why apprenticeship expansion sits at the center of our strategy rather than the margins of it.

Our President and CEO, Patrick Clancy, put it plainly in the piece: the barriers that push apprentices out are rarely about ambition. They are about logistics. Childcare. Transportation. Literacy gaps. So we are working to make that kind of moment systemic rather than lucky, with roughly $11 million in apprenticeship funding across the skilled trades, IT, healthcare, and education, pathways open to second-chance applicants, and an active push to build welding cohorts for the Navy Yard.

William serves on our Board of Directors alongside Dan. So when we talk about career pathways in this city, we are not theorizing. We have a board chair who opened a door, and a board member who walked through it, built a company from it, and now hires from the same trades that made room for him.

Congratulations, William. Philadelphia is better for the way you have chosen to build.



Read the full article here: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/nwa-boy-apprenticeship-nigeria-jobs-wealth-creation-20260817.html
(Inquirer subscribers and free account holders can read in full.)

Black Americans are reviving an ancient Nigerian apprenticeship model to build wealth | Opinion The Igbo people’s “Nwa Boy” system helped build a multibillion-dollar economy after Nigeria’s civil war. Now, some see it as a community-driven alternative for creating jobs and generational wealth.

Philadelphia's labor force grew again this quarter. Real wages did not.

In three Philadelphia ZIP codes, more than 2,000 new unemployment claims were filed in the first three months of this year. 19143 in Southwest. 19124 along the Frankford corridor. 19140 in North Philadelphia. Those same neighborhoods carry the city's highest unemployment rates, block by block. Meanwhile Center City, University City, the Far Northeast, and the Northwest sit comfortably below the metro rate. Philadelphia does not have one labor market. It has several, and they are not converging.

That is the finding at the center of our 2026 Q1 Quarterly Labor Market Report, out now.

Three things we think Philadelphia's employers, investors, and elected leaders should sit with:

• The paycheck is losing. Private wages in the Philadelphia metro grew 1.3 percent over the year. Prices here grew 3.5 percent. That gap is the difference between a raise and a pay cut, and Philadelphia workers have been on the wrong side of it for 24 straight months.

• People are not quitting. They are being let go. New unemployment claims rose almost 20 percent over last year. Roughly three out of four came from layoffs, terminations, and suspensions.

• A growing share of hiring runs through the middle. Staffing agencies and temporary help firms posted 12,609 jobs this quarter, nearly matching the entire colleges and universities category. More of Philadelphia's job market now moves through intermediaries rather than through the employers doing the hiring.

None of this is a forecast. It is what already happened, in ZIP codes we can name.

Philadelphia Works publishes this report as the city's hub for labor market analysis. It is free, it is quarterly, and the full industry and occupation tables are in the back for anyone who wants to check our work.

Read it here: https://philaworks.org/philadelphias-quarterly-labor-market-report-2026-q1/

Philadelphia's Quarterly Labor Market Report: 2026 Q1 - Philadelphia Works Philadelphia’s labor market entered 2026 sending two signals at once. The July 2026 Quarterly Labor Market Report from Philadelphia Works, Inc. documents a city where the labor force keeps expanding while wages, employment, and neighborhood conditions tell a harder story. The labor force grew by 2...

Yesterday, our President & CEO and Manager of Training & Apprenticeship represented Philadelphia on a regional stage! 🙌

They joined workforce leaders and state career and technical education (CTE) directors from across the region to talk about Apprenticeship PHL and how strong partnerships between employers, educators, and workforce leaders are opening real career pathways right here at home.

So proud to see Philadelphia Works' approach to Registered Apprenticeship recognized as a model for the region. 👏

Philadelphia Works was pleased to welcome Senator Joe Picozzi for a conversation about the workforce challenges and opportunities facing communities across Pennsylvania.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Picozzi brings an important perspective on how investments in workforce development can strengthen both local communities and Pennsylvania's long-term competitiveness.

From workforce readiness and educational attainment to housing and transportation, the discussion focused on the interconnected issues that shape economic opportunity throughout the Commonwealth.

Thank you to Senator Picozzi for his thoughtful engagement and to the PA CareerLink® PHL staff, along with Mike Joynes, Pat Clancy, Marsha Perry, and Gizela Burnside-Lopez for helping strengthen this important collaboration.

Our President and CEO, Patrick Clancy, is headed to the Transforming Justice Conference tomorrow as a featured panelist on the Economic Mobility Panel.

The 6th Annual Conference, hosted by Uplift Solutions, brings together practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders honoring Reentry Month and confronting the systems that shape who gets to participate in our economy.

Philadelphia Works, Inc. is proud to stand alongside partners committed to workforce fair chance hiring, reentry support, and economic opportunity for all Philadelphia residents.

📍 Temple University, Howard Gittis Student Center | June 16

🔗 Register: www.upliftsolutions.org

Meet Jason Ivey, Philadelphia Works' new Director of Adult Workforce Operations.

Jason will provide strategic leadership over adult workforce operations, overseeing service delivery, compliance, contracts, budgets, and performance goals.

We’re glad to have him on board. Welcome to Philadelphia Works, Jason!

Young people in deserve access to careers, resources, and support that help them move forward, and that’s exactly what the Next Steps Opportunity Youth Fair is designed to provide.

If you are 16–24 years old, looking for work, need career guidance, or simply want to explore what’s next, this event is for you.

Join us for an afternoon focused on jobs, career pathways, resources, prizes, food, and real opportunities to take your next step.

📍 Lenfest Center
3890 N 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140

📅 Wednesday, June 3, 2026
⏰ 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

✔ Career opportunities
✔ Community resources
✔ Support services
✔ Free food
✔ Raffles & prizes
✔ No experience, diploma, or degree required

Philadelphia Works is proud to support outreach efforts that connect Philadelphia’s young people to meaningful opportunities and trusted community resources.

Thank you to all the partners helping make this event possible:
North10 Philadelphia | SquashSmarts | HealthWorks Academies

🔗 Register here : https://ow.ly/BQXU50Z3hhe?

Please share with a young person, parent, educator, or community member who should know about this opportunity.

Please join us in welcoming Richard Prather, Senior Manager, Youth Workforce Systems
to Philadelphia Works!

In this role, Richard will provide strategic oversight to the youth workforce system, including management and support of the Career Connected Learning PHL intermediary and youth service providers. He will help ensure strong program quality, compliance, collaboration, and performance outcomes that advance opportunities for young people across .

Richard brings extensive experience in workforce development, training, partnership building, and system collaboration, along with a strong passion for youth empowerment and community impact. We are excited to have him join the team and look forward to the leadership and insight he will bring to our mission.

Welcome to Philadelphia Works, Richard!