Some Pennsylvania Industries See Growth Despite Economic Downturn

It seems that almost every industry in Pennsylvania has been affected by a coronavirus. Some businesses have lost great employees who’ve died due to the disease. Others have been forced to lay off great workers because they can’t afford to keep them.

But somehow, there are industries that aren’t struggling at all during the pandemic. These companies are thriving—hiring new employees, recording tremendous sales, and expanding their market reach constantly.

• The Gaming Industry

At the start of the pandemic, online gaming was dealt a few blows by the virus. First, eSports companies had to cancel competitions scheduled to take place in Pennsylvania, New York, and other cities. Then it lost sponsorship deals, at least temporarily. 

Within a few weeks, however, the industry got it to act together. And it has been thriving ever since. In case you’re wondering, the gaming industry simply shifted most of its operations to the Internet. 

Competitive gaming aside, lots of people in Pennsylvania have been gaming casually under quarantine. They have fewer entertainment options, anyway. Video game fans have been watching streams on Twitch.

On the other hand, poker and casino fans can access the best PA online gambling sites from here. Nowadays, you can also watch casino streams on Twitch and YouTube. And depending on the channel, you could earn bonuses and cash prizes.

• Ecommerce

Ecommerce stores throughout Pennsylvania have recorded unprecedented sales since the start of coronavirus. Although not headquartered in PA, companies like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay have recorded double-digit figures in sales since March last year.

Many people don’t have a choice, anyway. They don’t want to leave their homes or have been ordered to stay at home for safety reasons. But since they need essential items like toiletries, groceries, masks, and home supplies, they have to order them online.

In the US, online commerce sales leaped by 43% between April and September last year. Around the world, the industry grew by $26.7 trillion. US-based companies led the bullish trend, contributing $60.4 billion in September alone.

According to Commercehub.com, a software online retailer, American shoppers turned to eCommerce during the pandemic both because it’s safe and convenient. Amazon was the biggest winner among the big retails, dominating 35% of the market. 

• Streaming Networks

Because people can’t leave their homes to find entertainment, they’re using streaming networks like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu to watch movies. Netflix recorded a series of all-time highs throughout 2020. And at one point, the California-based companies announced it would limit bandwidth to cope with growing demand.

Like Netflix, most streaming networks expect demand for their services to continue rising post the pandemic. As such, lockdown is just a catalyst that has inspired more people to subscribe to online TV networks.

On average, online TV viewers spend roughly six hours and thirty minutes in front of a TV per day. This translates to 45 hours a week; five hours more than the average number of hours people work per week.

• Remote Work

The remote jobs industry has been growing even before the pandemic hit Pennsylvania. But now it has spiked with tons of companies looking for people who can work from home since the start of April last year. 

According to Flexjobs.com a job listing website, remote work comprised just around 5% of all forms of employment in the US before the pandemic. Presently, though, the industry has mushroomed by 25%.

Remote therapy and mental health jobs have recorded the highest boom in the past year. And psychologists aren’t surprised. The pandemic has impacted nearly everyone, at least mentally.

The banking and gaming industries rank second and third respectively. Mortgage follows next while online teaching, call centers, accounting, and translation also rank amongst the industries with the biggest listings for remote work.

• Delivery Services

Deliver companies almost never got impacted by COVID-19. When Gov. Tom Wolf ordered restaurants to shut down last year, these businesses immediately turned to online deliveries. Then delivery apps doubled in popularity.

After retail stores closed, people started to shop online. And guess what? These companies had to hire delivery agents. In other words, delivery service companies have been in demand since the pandemic started.

Surprisingly, there are no signs delivery companies will suffer after the pandemic is over. According to multiple surveys, Pennsylvanians are planning to continue using delivery services as long as they are fast and efficient.

• The Fitness Industry

Pennsylvanians might be working from home during the pandemic. But they still need to exercise. For a lot of them, staying fit doesn’t have to involve a fancy gym. Instead, a few pieces of equipment and YouTube videos are enough to keep them fit.

Indeed, downloads for fitness apps have boomed by over 50% since last year. Around the world, India had the highest increase in the number of fitness apps downloaded. North Africa and the Middle East ranked second while Asia was third.

Surprisingly, North America was at the bottom of continents with a great demand for digital fitness services during the pandemic. All the same, the number of people working out from home in PA has since sporadically in the past year.

Although many people have been working out alone, some apps have found ways to link their customers together. These apps let friends workout together through Zoom or join similar classes.

• Software Companies

As more people work from home; the demand for software companies has also risen. Software as a Service startups like AWS, Google Suite, and Microsoft have had recorded tremendous sales increases.

On the other hand, Internet security solutions like VPNs and antiviruses have also grown in demand. People want to work from home safely, and so they keep installing their programs to secure their data.

In general, nearly every software business has recorded sales increases during the pandemic. From cloud storage to Platform as a Service (PAAS) businesses, the tech industry has been one of the biggest benefactors of lockdown. The best part, though, is that it will continue to grow even post lockdown.

(Devdiscourse does not promote any kind of gambling activities and urges readers to play responsibly if they choose to do so. Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)