Construction employment expanded in 29 states between September and October, while fewer people are working in construction compared to last year in 39 states. The new figures continue a nearly year-long trend of ups and downs in construction employment as the industry performs stimulus-funded work yet grapples with broad market uncertainty.
Ken Simonson, the chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America says:
“ Construction is no longer in free fall, but the industry remains fragile as improvements vary greatly by state and project type.”
Simonson noted 20 states plus the District of Columbia lost construction jobs, while construction employment remained unchanged in Rhode Island. Minnesota (-2.7 percent, -2,300 jobs) lost the highest percent of construction jobs for the month while Florida lost the most jobs (-2.4 percent, -8,600 jobs).
Nationally, more cities added construction jobs this year than in 2009, according to the Associated General Contractors of America, indicating “the worst of the industry’s job losses may be over.”
There are no Florida cities which gained construction jobs over the past year. In Northeast Florida, Ocala and Jacksonville lost jobs — as did most Florida cities — while Gainesville and Palm Coast held steady, not losing any construction jobs over the year.
City or Area
2009 Jobs*
2010 Jobs*
Decline %
Gainseville
4,700
4,700
0%
Palm Coast
1,000
1,000
0%
Jacksonville
31,400
29,800
-5%
Daytona/Deltona/Ormond
8,600
8,200
-5%
Ocala
7,300
6,500
-11%
* Jobs may include Construction, mining, logging
While the above figures represent the 12-month span from October 2009 through September 2010, construction unemployment rate jumped to 18.8% as industry lost another 5,000 jobs nationally between October and November.
Construction unemployment rate is highest for any industry, roughly double overall rate as federal projects remain only bright spot for the hard-hit sector...
source: Associated General Contractors of America & Labor Dept.
Agency for Workforce Innovation released their unemployment figures on Friday (July 16, 2010). Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2010 is 11.4 percent. This represents 1,056,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,237,000. The unemployment rate is down 0.3 percentage point from May 2010.
According to the June report, Flagler County no longer has the highest unemployment in Florida. Out of a labor force of 32,713 people, 27,661 are employed, leaving 5,052 people unemployed, making Flagler County unemployment rate 15.4%.
Even though the unemployment rate actually increased in Flagler County vis a vis May (15.1%) and April (14.7%), the County's 15.4% Unemployment is no longer the highest in Florida. Hendry County unemployment surpassed Flagler's: 16.1%.
The neighbors, Volusia County had 12.1% and St. Johns County's rate in June was at 9.6%.
Free Technology Training As Florida’s economy continues to recover, job seekers interested in improving their digital literacy and competitiveness in today’s increasingly technical job market are encouraged to visit ElevateAmerica.org to apply for no-cost Microsoft technology training and certification vouchers. The vouchers – 40,000 total – were made available to Floridians by Microsoft® Elevate America, an innovative partnership between Microsoft and the State of Florida. Vouchers will be available through Aug. 21, 2010, or while supplies last. All vouchers must be activated by Aug. 21
More Programs to be Available for Job Seekers due to Oil Spill Last month, Governor Crist announced that Florida was awarded a $7 million National Emergency Grant (NEG) to provide job training and employment/reemployment services to workers who have lost jobs as a result of the Gulf oil spill. The grant will help impacted workers secure jobs in other industries. Additionally, Florida received a federal $3.46 million On-the-Job Training (OJT) Grant in June to help employers in new and emerging industries access job training for workers and create employment opportunities. The NEG and OJT grants are being administered by AWI, with programs for job seekers becoming available in the coming weeks.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist, today announced that Florida has been ranked number one in the nation for its workforce by CNBC. The ranking came in CNBC’s fourth annual America’s Top States for Business rankings — a study of all 50 states that examines 10 different categories, including workforce, to measure each state’s ability to attract businesses.
Florida moved up from the number three spot in 2009, reclaiming the number-one ranking the state held in 2008.
Governer Crist said:
“The Sunshine State is home to the best talent in the world. We are committed to creating a highly skilled, innovative workforce across all industry sectors, and we take great pride in the role our workforce plays in driving Florida’s businesses into the 21st century.”
The workforce rankings in CNBC’s annual study are based on several indicators, including the education level of the workforce, the number of available workers, union membership and the relative success of each state’s worker training programs in placing participants in jobs. Workforce Florida Inc., the state’s business-led workforce policy and oversight board largely appointed by Governor Crist, is charged with strengthening Florida’s business climate and helping Floridians enter and advance in the workforce.
“We are committed to providing Floridians and businesses with the tools they need to ensure Florida’s competitiveness in the global marketplace,” said Workforce Florida Chair Belinda Keiser. “To receive the number-one ranking for the second time is a testament to the tenacity of our workforce, and to the excellence of Florida’s programs and collaborative partnerships that ensure we are able to create and sustain highly skilled talent.”
Most employment and training services in Florida are provided at the local level through the state’s 24 regional workforce boards, the backbone of the state workforce system. Key leadership is also provided by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which is charged with administering workforce services in Florida.
In 2009, Florida’s workforce system provided services including job search, referrals and placement assistance as well as training to more than 1.7 million people.
The workforce ranking is one of the most heavily weighted categories in determining each state’s total score in the CNBC study, along with the cost of doing business and quality of life.
Unfortunately, the #1 ranking in workforce did not help Florida to move into the 50% percentile in the overall rankings for "Top Business Friendly States." Out of the 50 states, this year, Florida placed number 28 in the study’s overall ranking for top business states for the second consecutive year.
Unfortunately #1 ranking in Workforce did not help the overall rankings... This year, Florida placed number 28 in the study’s overall ranking for top business states for the second consecutive year.
Who is the #1 State? Texas. And who's number 50 in the list? Alaska.
Florida may be winning gold medals in Workforce, but the state is still in the bottom 5 in the nation in terms of unemployment, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. And unfortunately Palm Coast and Flagler County still have the highest unemployment in the state of Florida...
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About Workforce Florida
Since its 2000 inception, Workforce Florida has developed and directed numerous successful initiatives aimed at addressing the state’s workforce needs. Among them are Quick Response Training (QRT) and Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) grants, which reimburse businesses for a portion of the cost of training employees. Recently, Workforce Florida developed a new, five-year state strategic plan, with statewide input from Florida businesses and the education sector. The plan confronts the challenges of getting Floridians back to work while focusing on the most promising opportunities to diversify our state’s economy by strengthening talent development at every level of Florida’s Talent Supply Chain.
Through the recently launched Microsoft® Elevate America initiative, an innovative public-private partnership, free technology training is available to Floridians for a limited time. Another recent workforce-system initiative, responding to a real-time need confronting the state, is the creation of the Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs web portal at www.floridagulfrecoveryjobs.com. The portal is dedicated to helping Floridians access information about jobs stemming from recovery and cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
To find out about the comprehensive workforce services and resources available in Florida, visit www.EmployFlorida.com
Where is the Workforce Florida Office located in Palm Coast? Center for Business Excellence (CBE) is a member of Employ Florida, has an office in Palm Coast (Flagler County), Florida, located in the same building as the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce.
CBE - One Stop Employment Division 20 Airport Road, Suite E Palm Coast, FL. 32164 Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5 pm Phone: (386) 586-5169
