TALLAHASSEE — “We’re hiring” banners hang above grocery stores in nearly every community in Florida. “Help wanted” signs are taped to storefronts and posted on hundreds of online job boards. Florida’s unemployment rate is nearing a record low, even as the state population grows.
“Get used to it,” said Ron Hetrick, who lives in St. Johns County, south of Jacksonville. He’s a senior labor economist at the labor market analytics firm Lightcast.
This is Florida’s new normal, and the results will translate into competitive wages, longer waits for professional and domestic services and higher costs of living — for everyone.
Florida is unlike many other states because of its fast growth, aging population and dependence on migrants for both skilled and unskilled labor, Hetrick said. But a beefed-up state law that attempts to crack down on labor from immigrants without permanent legal status is exacerbating the deep hole in the workforce that may take years to close.
“What makes Florida unique is that people are moving from all over the country, but the unemployment rate is not going up — it’s going down or holding a low level,” Hetrick explained.
According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which is updating its 2021 Workforce Needs Study, 73% of job creators surveyed in Florida reported challenges in recruiting qualified candidates, and more than 58% reported they anticipate a need for training and “up-skilling” current employees.
Hardest hit are industries such as construction, restaurants, hotels, roofing, landscaping and agriculture, which traditionally have relied on both citizens and migrant workers without permanent legal status. They have hit a new hurdle with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent crackdown on immigrant workers in Florida who lack permanent legal status.
At DeSantis’ urging, legislators passed a package of immigration-related measures this year that attempt to keep immigrants without permanent legal status from coming into…
