Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

“Jobs, jobs, jobs still tops in Florida.” That was an above-the-fold headline in our largest local daily last week. The story highlighted University of South Florida’s annual Sunshine State Survey, which found that jobs and the economy remain the most important issue on the minds of Floridians. According to the survey, directed by my longtime friend Dr. Susan MacManus, “the lack of well-paying jobs” is seen as the top threat to our state’s economy.

That headline—“Jobs, jobs, jobs”—caused me to do a double-take. Not because of the sentiment, which seems right on. But because of an upcoming event here in our community that was also top of mind.

Next Wednesday, CareerEdge Funders Collaborative holds its annual “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs” event at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing. This is a much-anticipated forum where we will get a peek at what industry sectors are growing in our region and where the jobs will be. Couple this forecast with statewide data on growth sectors to be discussed by Florida Chamber Foundation economist Dr. Jerry Parrish, plus the perspective of local employers on a panel he’ll moderate, and we should all come away with actionable intelligence on how to best invest in our regional workforce.

To read more, please visit SRQ Magazine to read Mark Pritchett's October 15 SRQ Daily guest column.