Employment, Job Training Top Florida’s Economic Development Priorities
The Florida Chamber Foundation is predicting that the state will create 150,000 jobs in 2019 and more than 5 million people will move here by 2030, with over 330,000 coming in the next year, as shared during the Chamber Foundation’s 2019 Economic Outlook & Jobs Summit.
Bureau Chief Labor Market Statistics for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Adrienne Johnston along with President and CEO of Enterprise Florida Jamal Sowell and Florida Economic Development Council Executive Director Beth Cicchetti spoke about the state’s potential growth factors at the summit.
Florida’s employment and job training needs:
In our state, industry growth is focused in health care and there is a lot of growth in professional business services that translates into high-wage, good jobs that require skill. There’s a long-term shift toward higher skill training needed by employers in our state. One of the most prevalent is vocational training. In looking at the jobs being created over the next eight years, many will require vocational training.
Creation of more partnerships at the state level through Florida Partners for Prosperity:
We all want to work together more cohesively. It takes a collective approach of all working in the same direction toward the same goal of prosperity for Floridians to be successful. It’s one thing to be able leverage the different relationships and spheres of influence we all use, but to bring them together makes us more effective as a team of business developers, people who are working toward facilitating capital investment, job creation and the investment in infrastructure and job creation in Florida.
Importance of Florida’s airports and seaports economically:
Florida has 15 seaports and 20 airports, which have been part of the vitality of the state and will continue to be significant assets.
Challenge for Florida’s workforce:
While a tight labor market is a good problem to have, we will continue to figure out ways to leverage our partnerships in the workforce to help businesses find the qualified talent they need.
More information can be found at Jacksonville Business Journal.