Posted by rcipgh on 8:07 AM
Pennsylvania has remained resilient against the national trend that has been making unemployment rates rising, making it an excellent time for job seekers continue the search.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate dropped in April with the third-largest monthly decline on record.
The jobless rate is 7.6 percent, down three-tenths of one percent compared to March, according to data released Friday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. There were 13,000 more jobs added in the month statewide.
"April was a tremendous month for job growth and the state’s employment situation," Labor & Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway said in a prepared statement.
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Posted by rcipgh on 9:54 AM
Urban Innovation21 has given out a total of $100,000 to companies in Pittsburgh within the Leystone Innovation Zone:
Six Pittsburgh-area startups operating in redeveloping neighborhoods are receiving grants from the economic development group Urban Innovation21.
The group dolled out a total of $100,000 to companies under the Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone (PCKIZ) program. The awards do not include dividends or equity but are part of the group’s mission to ensure that the growing technology scene also benefits traditionally underserved communities.
The following grants were awarded to:
Rubitection Inc. for $25,000
Embedded Energy Technology LLC for $25,000
ActivAided Orthotics for $15,000
Community Elf for $15,000
HeadRight Games LLC for $15,000
Trincula’s Attic for $5,000
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Posted by rcipgh on 10:08 AM
Many small business owners ask themselves if it is possible to expand using the feedback from customers. Is it possible? How is it done anyway?
At a time when one-click LinkedIn endorsements are stacking up faster than rush-hour traffic, obtaining sincerely worded recommendations is a lot like pulling into the carpool lane. You have to invest upfront in planning, personal contact and collaboration, but the effort is rewarded by access to a less-crowded environment and a quicker route to building credibility and trust.
Sit back and collect endorsements
LinkedIn endorsements verify what you do (though most of us on LinkedIn have been endorsed for some skill we don't possess), while recommendations detail how you do what you do and the unique value you deliver.
LinkedIn endorsements are what social networkers call "lite" recommendations and what Forbes writer Eve Mayer likens to a "Stove Top stuffing version," with less "meatiness than Grandma's homemade stuffing."
Endorsements are easy to give and even easier to get. With no input beyond LinkedIn-provided prompts, your LinkedIn contacts simply click endorsement buttons -- at a reported rate of 10 million times daily. And while the endorsements, in the words of detractors, may serve as little more than "eye candy," they require no energy on your part, leaving you free to steer your efforts toward developing thoughtfully worded recommendations instead.
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Posted by rcipgh on 9:45 AM
Pittsburgh has always remained resilient against national job market slumps, but how does it rank among the highest paying job markets?
The Business Journals has come up with a list of the 100 highest-paying job markets -- and Pittsburgh is about halfway down the list.
An On Numbers analysis of the annual pay of all employees in major markets ranks Pittsburgh at No. 48 with an average salary of $44,270. That's well below No. 1 on the list, San Jose, Calif., which had an average annual pay of $69,670, as well as the highest-ranked region in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia ($50,310). It also was slightly behind another Pennsylvania metro region, $44,750 for No. 42 Harrisburg.
Here are the top 10 highest-paying markets for employees in all jobs.
San Jose, $69,670
Washington, $63,750
San Francisco-Oakland, $62,680
Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn., $60,720
Boston, $58,940
New York City, $56,940
Seattle, $55,890
Durham, N.C., $54,500
Hartford, $54,290
Los Angeles, $51,990
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Posted by rcipgh on 9:41 AM
Angel and venture capitalists converging on PNC Park for the Three Rivers Venture Fair are following a five-year trend that shows Pittsburgh has been a solid bet in an unstable economy.
A report released Wednesday by New York-based accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP and South Side-based seed stage investor Innovation Works notes the Pittsburgh region saw increased deals and investment during a time when both were stalling nationwide.
In 2012, the number of venture deals nationally declined 6 percent and the number of dollars invested dropped 10 percent, from $29.5 billion the previous year to $26.5 billion last year. But the Pittsburgh region saw a 54 percent increase in the number of investment deals and a bump up in investments from $326.9 million in 2011 to $329.1 million in 2012.
From 2008 to 2012, the region saw $1.3 billion in early-stage technology investments and nearly doubled the number of investments for very-early-stage companies. Between 2011 and 2012, 28 regional companies made exit deals worth $2 billion in disclosed value.
That sounded pretty good to tech entrepreneurs who gathered at Wednesday's kickoff of the Three Rivers Venture Fair, as they look to snag investors.
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Posted by rcipgh on 10:39 AM
Pittsburgh is in the spotlight on Entrepreneurship.org for its growing economy, a good sign that the city's renaissance is still alive and well. check out the link below to see the videos on
Thirty years ago, Pittsburgh was given up for dead. City leaders realized that if the town were ever to recover it would need a more diversified economy and that entrepreneurship would be key. The stories below explore how Pittsburgh went about creating a new entrepreneurial ecosystem and the challenges it still faces.
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Posted by rcipgh on 10:33 AM
Pittsburgh has once again proven its resilience to the national economic slump. A recent Allegheny Conference showed that Pittsburgh's long term focus on job growth has certainly paid off:
- The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) reports 269 economic development deals (or wins) in terms of investment and development projects. The deals are expected to create 8,388 new jobs in the region over the next few years and retain 3,422 jobs to a total employment impact of 12,000 jobs.
- A total $3.2 billion in capital investment was reported in 2012, the highest amount since 2007 when the record-keeping began. Investment projects were $1.8 billion, $750 million more than 2011. Development projects totaled $1.4 billion.
- 2012 marked a year of record-high employment and Pittsburgh position as a national leader for job growth in high-wage industries.
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