Quote:
Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC
Meant as a light discussion topic. One of Philadelphia's longest-running problems... Retaining talent.
Anecdotally, I've seen young people online make this complaint: Unless you work for Comcast, in medicine/healthcare, hospitality, or have a remote job, a lot of the region's high-paying corporate jobs are out in the suburbs. At that point, many just depart for NYC or DC. Another random example: I have a friend at Salesforce in Chicago and wants to relocate to Philadelphia, but his role isn't easily done remotely. Salesforce has East Coast offices in NYC, Boston and DC, but nothing in Philadelphia, or the burbs. Obviously, Salesforce is just one company, but I think it's a good example of the larger issue. But how does the city address it?... Philly has become a more attractive place to live, but that only gets you so far if the jobs aren't here.
Gen Z is coming to Philadelphia, but they aren't finding jobs that will keep them here
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...z-pew-report-philadelphia-retention.html
That's according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts, which found that members of Philadelphia's 176,000-person Gen Z workforce generally want to stay in the city long-term but see more career opportunities and pay raises in competing cities.
Pew conducted a series of focus groups with Gen Z Philadelphians in the fall of 2025 to understand what brought them to the city, and what would make them leave.
"They want more opportunities in fields outside the city’s dominant healthcare sector; they have mixed views on the value of college — another dominant sector in the city; and many express affection for Philadelphia and chagrin about having to leave to pursue their careers," the report concludes. |
I'm a young Millennial/elder Gen Z/Zennial, depending on where you place 1995 in the generational continuum. I am fortunate to have found a well-paying career at a company I am very passionate about, but when I first graduated from college in 2018, the struggle to find a position in the city was a real conundrum. I thought that finding an entry-level finance role would've been easy at the time, but the market was more competitive than I had anticipated. I ended up taking a role in Chadds Ford out of desperation (I didn't want to graduate without a job lined up), and I only lasted six months after having to deal with the most hellish commute I've ever done--I lived in Cedar Park at the time, so I'd walk to 46th Street, take the El to 69th Street, and transfer to the 111, which would take 2 hours on a good day and more than 3 on the worst days.
My recommendation to those preparing to graduate from college and/or early-career professionals who love Philly but hate the fact that many of the best-paying jobs are in the suburbs, is to consider finding a role in NYC and commuting by Amtrak. I'm required to commute to DC at least once a month, and I'll go up to the NYC office a few times a month. I can go from my front door in Northwest Philly to Penn Station in about 2 hours. For DC, I can do the same thing in less than 3 hours if I time the transfer correctly. If you purchase your tickets ahead of time, then Amtrak isn't that much more expensive than the SEPTA/NJT trip up to NYC.
Ultimately, I'd love to see more of these corporate roles return to the city. If I had unlimited powers, I'd implement a system of tax disincentives for companies that place themselves away from high-capacity transit to encourage them to move back into the city. If companies must remain in the suburbs, then I'd prefer them in Conshohocken or Radnor than Blue Bell or Dresher.
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2301 Walnut St.
), which I'd imagine would be a pipe dream in any other east coast city (aside from Baltimore).
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