Jobless rates in Florida are getting closer to what's considered full employment, which is between 4-5%. The Southwest Florida region is at 4.8%, ahead of the entire state of Florida, which is at 5.8%.
The construction industry is booming, and has been for the last few months.
That’s according to Janeth Castrejon, communications manager for CareerSource Southwest Florida. She says the economy is stronger in Southwest Florida in comparison to the entire state, mainly because a lot of people are moving into residential homes.
“There’s a lot more remote employees given the option to work wherever they want to work, and they want to live in Southwest Florida,” Castrejon said. “Because of our economy — we’re open, it is strong, there’s a lot to do, and great weather.”
Castrejon said more people will continue to flow into this part of the state, keeping demand for residential construction and homes high.
In the hospitality industry, Castrejon said season started strong in mid December and has held steady, and that has helped elevate employment numbers in that sector.