Where the jobs are: Prospects improving for unemployed despite COVID-19
In a state where the unemployed outnumber job openings by 2-to-1, the outlook for people seeking work during the COVID-19 crisis might seem fairly bleak.
But as the pandemic has destroyed jobs, it has created opportunities for workers who are willing to change industries and learn new skills. Meanwhile, South Florida is growing as a desirable spot for out of-town companies that see the region as an alternative to states locked down due to COVID-19.
The developments are improving prospects for new regional employment in 2021, particularly in areas such as technology as more people work remotely, according to analysts, staffing executives and economic development officials.
Other opportunities lie in fields like construction, financial services, health care and even restaurants.
It was an apprentice program that prepared Cursy Gerrie, a roofer for Advanced Roofing of Fort Lauderdale, for a long-term, stable career.
“It was really eye opening. I learned a lot,” Gerrie said Wednesday. “I don’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon. Where I’m at, I see a bright future and see myself retiring from this company.”
Remarks like that cheer his boss, Rob Kornahrens, who founded the company in 1983 with a $15,000 loan from his father. Now, the company is looking to add 80 workers to a full-time payroll of 570, but it is advertising for help in 10 states because there aren’t enough candidates in Florida. Tough COVID-related measures for workers — such as masks and protective gear — have discouraged many from applying, he says.
“Construction hasn’t stopped,” he said. “Some of the new construction developers have paused, but that’s only a pause. The ones I know are just waiting and seeing the outcome of the election, but we’re starting to see those come back on board as well. We’re seeing an uptick.”
Other fields see reason for similar optimism. Here are where jobs were gained or lost in South Florida from October 2019 to October 2020, along with the prospects for the coming year.
Broward County
Unemployment rate: 7.3% vs. 2.8% in 2019.
Leisure and Hospitality: -23,200","type":"text
Professional and Business Services: -8,500.","type":"text
Education and Health Services: -8,300.","type":"text
Trade, Transportation and Utilities: -6,900.","type":"text
Construction: -6,200.","type":"text
Government: -2,800.","type":"text
Manufacturing: -2,400.","type":"text
Information -1,600.","type":"text
Marine industry: David Coddington, senior vice president of business development at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, said the region’s billion-dollar marine industry “is on fire right now” with some of the best sales they’ve ever had even before the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which operated on a smaller scale out of respect for the pandemic.
Marine industry: David Coddington, senior vice president of business development at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, said the region’s billion-dollar marine industry “is on fire right now” with some of the best sales they’ve ever had even before the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which operated on a smaller scale out of respect for the pandemic.
The industry continues to generate strong employment among businesses playing supporting roles. Several companies are hiring fiberglass paint specialists, mechanics and riggers, said Hylton of CareerSource Broward.
Financial services: Coddington said Broward, along with Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, is in the hunt for financial service firms, “be it private equity, be it consulting, that whole finance piece. We’re in conversations with quite a few of those types of companies” as Northeast-based firms seek cheaper, greener spaces in which to operate.
Aviation and health care: For private and public employment assistance firms and agencies, “this is like first responder time for us,” said Carol Hylton, president and CEO of CareerSource Broward.
She said her agency is working with a variety of industry leaders to find ways to redirect the unemployed into jobs and careers as employers adjust to life under COVID-19.
An overview of several key industries seeking talent through CareerSource is showing demand in aviation, health care, retail and information technology.
In aviation, several Broward companies are seeking mechanics and line technicians, Hylton said.
In health care, there is a high demand for medical professionals. “There are vast shortages in the hospital system which are forcing staffs to work longer hours,” she said. Hospitals have been recalling furloughed workers after resuming elective surgery work that was set aside during the early stages of COVID-19. Now that coronavirus cases are spiking again, they’re needed.
“In Broward, in the last 30 days, there are over 2,000 openings for registered nurses and medical assistants,” she said. “BrowardHealth, Memorial and Cleveland Clinic are hiring.”
Technology: Matthew Boudreau, a Florida district president for Robert Half International, the staffing firm, said COVID-19 has created demand for experienced technology professionals, particularly among employers running remote work environments.
“With the remote environment now, you need to increase network security, engineers and network administrators to support these remote positions,” he said.
Hylton agreed that local companies are maneuvering to hire software developers and cloud programmers to accommodate expanded remote work situations.
“All of the employers are using technology in a way they didn’t think they would do so quickly, us included,” she said.
Retail: The retail industry, while slow, has a need for people to fill online orders. Chewy, the online pet food and products retailer, has 154 openings.
And restaurants, which were among the businesses most severely battered by the pandemic, have plastered the CareerSource job boards with notices for 3,000 openings for counter workers, cooks and servers.
Hylton said her agency has an array of training programs that carry paid internships. CareerSource is also working with local schools and colleges to develop programs that yield “rapid credentialing” for program graduates.
Palm Beach County
Unemployment rate: 6.1% vs. 3.1% in 2019.
Leisure and Hospitality: -16,800.","type":"text
Education/Health Services: -6,100.","type":"text
Trade/Transportation/Utilities: -5,600.","type":"text
Professional and Business Services: -5,000.","type":"text
Government: -2,800.","type":"text
Manufacturing: -900.","type":"text
Financial Activities: -700.","type":"text
Inbound employers: Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the county’s Business Development Board, noted that the county’s jobless rate, which has plunged from a pandemic high of 14% in May to last month’s 6.1%, “certainly shows the strength of the Palm Beach County market.”
Inbound employers: Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the county’s Business Development Board, noted that the county’s jobless rate, which has plunged from a pandemic high of 14% in May to last month’s 6.1%, “certainly shows the strength of the Palm Beach County market.”
Many firms are leaving crowded urban areas in other states due to the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic. And they are coming to Florida.
“I cannot stress enough how fortunate we are to see a steady flow of businesses coming from New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and even California,” she said. All of those moves, she added, have come within the last eight months.
Smallridge said growth is occurring in logistics and distribution and financial services. Locally, she said, the latter industry is being buttressed by inbound firms from the Northeast. Amazon is looking to expand in the county with a 1 million square foot facility.
“And there are various technology and innovation companies … which are interested in employing our residents,” she said.
Companies are also coming from abroad. This week, the board announced that V2Tech, a maritime technology company in the electric ships market, is moving from Europe to West Palm Beach. The company, which leased temporary space downtown, will employ up to 30 people by 2022 with plans to expand its presence and open a manufacturing plant.
Other recently recruited foreign companies include Misfits Gaming from Germany, The North West Co. from Canada and Nano Dimension from Israel and China.
“The Business Development Board is working with three companies that have plans to add over 100-plus jobs each, as well as physically expanding their facilities within the next six months,” Smallridge added. “We are very hopeful this will put many unemployed Palm Beach County residents back to work, perhaps making more money than they had before.”
She did not identify the companies.
But Smallridge said the board has been working with cities around the county “to create an expedited permitting process to get these companies into their facilities” so they can quickly hire new workers.
Dr. Jerry Parrish, chief economist for the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said population movement being generated by the pandemic “is the first positive news that rural economic development has had across the country.”
“A lot of people are moving to less crowded places,” he said. “It’s going to repopulate our rural counties.”
“That will be good for relocating jobs from other states,” Parrish said.
Miami-Dade County
Unemployment Rate: 8.8% vs. 2.0% in 2019.
Financial activities: +900.","type":"text
Leisure and Hospitality: -26,900.","type":"text
Government: -13,200.","type":"text
Education/Health Services: -11,900.","type":"text
Professional and Business Services: -7,200.","type":"text
Trade/Transportation/Utilities: -5,700.","type":"text
Information: -500.","type":"text
The Beacon Council, the business development arm of Miami-Dade County, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The Beacon Council, the business development arm of Miami-Dade County, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Although its jobless rate finally fell below 10%, Miami-Dade’s jobless rate in October still ranked among the highest in the state . For September, it was 12.6%. The good news, according to state data, was that the county added back jobs between September and October in a number of industries, including leisure and hospitality, which saw an increase of 3,400, and in education and health services, which saw a month to month gain of 1,800.
Financial services: Continued strength also occurred in financial activities, a target area for all South Florida counties that are eagerly taking inquiries from Wall Street firms about relocating operations from New York and other northern cities.
Last month, the council cheered the decision by Blackstone, the largest alternative investment firm in the world, to open a regional financial services technology headquarters in downtown Miami.
The council said the arrival is “the most recent among dozens of financial services, private equity, hedge fund and venture capital firms to migrate to South Florida.”
Blackstone pledged to create 215 new jobs by 2024 and invest $25 million locally in new capital investments.
Technology: According to an Oct. 12 statement announcing the Blackstone move, the Beacon Council has been operating a decade-long strategic plan designed to drive technology employment. Since 2012, the council said, the initiative achieved substantial job growth in the field through the training of local computer and related professionals.
The county has more than 15 coding schools “complementing a pipeline of local college and university graduates in technology related fields,” with Florida International University ranking sixth nationally in computer science graduates.
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