Employers look different in 2021
A new company vaults into the top 10 while the top 25 experiences numerous reshufflings
East Penn Manufacturing and Tower Health remain the largest employers in Berks County for 2021, but little else in the top 25 looks exactly the same as last year’s survey.
Walmart, Penske Transportation Solutions and the Reading School District comprised the top five after making some of the biggest gains, while Amazon went from having virtually no presence in the region to ninth in a matter of 12 months.
The survey also reflected downward hiring trends brought on in part by factors such as COVID-19 downsizings, an ongoing national labor shortage and other industry-related trends.
How the survey works and why it’s important
The Reading Eagle logged inquiries with 40 area employers based on information from previous years’ survey results, state data and local economic insights provided by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance.
Not every organization responded, and those that did may be providing estimates or counts as of different dates.
For entities with operations outside Berks, only workers based within the county borders are tabulated.
The survey serves as a snapshot of both the area’s largest job creators and industries as well as what are some of the biggest drivers of the local economy.
Amazon’s meteoric rise
While new companies join the ranks of Berks’ largest employers from time to time, it’s not often an entity goes from near zero employees to straight into the top 10 with 2,000.
Of course, it’s not often the largest ecommerce business in the world opens not one but two facilities in the span of just a few months, either, as Amazon did in Muhlenberg and Upper Bern townships.
The fulfillment centers were operational by the end of 2020, and at their holiday peak, Amazon actually ranked as high as third in Berks County, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry’s quarterly census of employment and wages.
Perhaps related to the ecommerce boom, Penske Transportation Solutions — which counts Penske Logistics among its businesses — grew by 210 people.
Manufacturing still recovering?
Purely looking at employment numbers, it appears many production schedules in Berks are still not up and running at 100% capacity.
The two largest manufacturers in the area, East Penn Manufacturing and Carpenter Technology, both saw reductions of more than 200 workers — and for CarTech, which fell three spots, it was the second year in a row reporting a triple-digit reduction.
The only other area manufacturer to make the cut, Ashley Furniture, saw a slight bump after losing 246 employees from 2019 to ‘20.
Some manufacturers were forced to downsize at the onset of the pandemic, whether due to decreased demand or because employees couldn’t adequately socially distance while on the job.
In the months since, however, many manufacturers continue to report worker and material shortages as challenges that are preventing operations from returning to full capacity.
A note about Apis Services
The previous year’s surveys listed St. Lawrence-based nonprofit Inperium Management Services, which was reported as high as third in the county for 2020.
Inperium is still represented, but under its affiliate organization, Apis Services, which ranked 16th.
This was not the result of any downsizing — rather, the previous year’s employment figures were misreported and likely a reflection of total workers across Pennsylvania or company-wide.
“We have not decreased in staff, that is for sure,” said an Apis Services spokesperson in an email exchange.
Education sector in flux
While the Reading School District saw the biggest jump of any employer in the top 25, adding 250 employees, several area educators went in the reverse direction.
Kutztown University experienced the biggest loss of 166 employees, followed by the Boyertown Area School District at 112 (over a two-year period), then the Berks County Intermediate Unit with 50.
Like Reading, the Wilson School District also saw a slight increase, but overall, numbers were down.
There have been reports of health concerns among teachers as a result of COVID-19, as well as fatigue connected to working conditions during the pandemic, the combination of which may be contributing to an exodus from the profession.
Some retail chains still growing
While traditional department stores and specialty retailers continue to face headwinds created by the surge in ecommerce, so-called “super stores,” grocery stores, convenience stores and dollar stores continue to perform well, based on hiring patterns.
The Reading Eagle received its first updated count from Walmart in years, those stores plus the company’s Sam’s Club wholesale market in Muhlenberg Township now representing the third largest workforce in the county, while grocers Redner’s and Giant remained steady.
Dollar General also marked its second year on the list.
And while they did respond to inquiries in time for potential inclusion, state data indicates Lowe’s, the home improvement chain, and Target, the super store chain, might be knocking on the door of our top 25.