Tulsa Chamber Of Commerce Working To Help Industries Most Impacted By COVID

The Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce wants to help the industries that suffered the most during the pandemic so its created a road map to recovery.

Their Dislocated Workforce Analysis focuses on the local economy, but more specifically they identified the four industries hit hardest in the last year. They said data shows the industries most affected by COVID-19 were manufacturing, accommodation and food services, retail and energy.

The report said "Tulsa's economy is highly concentrated in manufacturing" at nearly twice the national concentration level. That sector had the highest number of unemployed workers during the pandemic with more than 11,000 workers dislocated last April.

This is all despite the city entering last year strong, with the metro adding 14,000 jobs since 2015.

City leaders said the report includes short- and long-term recommendations to support recovery for those having trouble re-entering the workforce.

"We want people to be ready not necessarily just to take the jobs they had before, because those jobs may no longer exist, so we want to make sure they are ready to take jobs that are coming, that are on the horizon," Tulsa Regional Chamber VP of Workforce and Talent Strategies Rue Ramsey said.

You can find the entire report, including those recommendations, here.