FedEx is looking to hire 400 workers for its Lehigh Valley hub in Allen Township. The company said it needs to meet a critical demand for service because of COVID-19.

To help business owners struggling to recover from COVID-19, an Easton nonprofit is collaborating with the city and another organization to create a relief fund of $300,000 in emergency capital.

E.T. Browne Drug Co., manufacturer of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula and Coconut Oil Formula skin and hair care products, said its East Stroudsburg-based manufacturing facility, Hayward Laboratories, has started producing sanitizer for immediate distribution, to address widespread supply shortages in the wake of COVID-19.

Just a few weeks ago, manufacturers in Pennsylvania faced a hiring crisis with seasoned, skilled employees retiring and not enough young people choosing manufacturing careers to replace them. That dynamic has shifted dramatically in just the past few weeks, said Richard Hobbs, executive director of the Manufacturers Resource Center in the Lehigh Valley.

Advocates for the construction industry say Pennsylvania should allow all construction projects to safely continue. Stalled projects exposed to the weather elements could be damaged and create hazardous conditions, they argue.

The largest stimulus package in American history was signed into law last week and while it may take time to feel its effects, businesses are beginning to look at what it could mean for their employees and communities.

Several senators led by Sen. David J. Arnold Jr., (R-Lebanon) are seeking relief for construction firms throughout the state who have largely shuttered their companies and most projects after Gov. Wolf’s business closure order on March 19.

For managers delving into this unchartered territory of long-term remote work, there are some best practices and effective techniques to adopt that may be helpful in managing employees who are working outside the office.

Julabo USA, a company in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, is among those businesses that’s staying open because it is helping to equip pharmaceutical companies that are working on vaccines, research, and drug therapies to directly combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

As companies look to the Lehigh Valley to move or expand headquarters and manufacturing operations, a key part of their decision-making is the question of workforce. If the workforce exists, that’s where they will go, and it’s a top reason many major companies recently announced plans to build in the region.