Florida drilling bill helps jobs

The House passed a bill on Monday that will help Florida jobs. Drilling will begin off the state's shore. It plans on decreasing dependency on foreign oil.

Many people feel this isn't the right move for Florida, thinking that it could hurt the state's economy. They feel that drill would decrease tourism, which is one of the state's main assets. The environment is, also, an major concern.

However, the governor and his three person Cabinet believe that drilling would create more money and jobs coming into the state.

According to Business Week, "Rep. Charles Van Zant, the bill's sponsor, said the proposal could attract a new industry to Florida while helping free the U.S. from relying on unfriendly OPEC countries. He said drilling could reap more than $6 billion annually for the state and create more than 16,000 jobs."

Democratic counterparts feel opposite, that drilling would only hurt the state.

"This is something serious, a dagger in the heart of the economy in my district and the districts of other coastal communities," said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, a Sarasota Democrat. "Just the smallest of spills will send people elsewhere."

According to the bill's supporters, technology advancements make spills highly unlikely. Also, for those who feel drilling would drive away tourism, pumps can be out of sights by being placed on the sea floor.

Republicans argued that it's better to drill in American waters than to hand money over to Middle East nations that hate the United States.

The next step for the bill is to be passed by the Senate.

Disney lays off thousands

Disney World is a place where dreams come true, but some have come to an end after the company eliminated thousands of Florida jobs. The company claims that the lay offs are not related to the suffering economy, but from reorganization. No matter what the reason is, this is one of the largest lay offs for Disney.

With 1,900 lay offs at both Disney parks, 1,400 came from Florida. But Disney says that park goers won't notice a difference. Hundreds of the lost jobs were in positions that weren't being filled at the time. However, no "backstage" jobs didn't have the potential to be on the chopping block.

"These decisions were not made lightly, but are essential to maintaining our leadership in family tourism ... We continue to work through our reorganization and manage our business based on demand," Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.

According to Disney, people who lost their jobs were given severance packages and help to find another job.

The good news is that the majority of the cuts are over. However, employees do have to face that their is a chance for more lay offs to come.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Florida unemployment rate was 9.4% and rising in February.

Citrix Systems, Inc. to Cut Florida Jobs

Citrix Systems, Inc, a leader in application delivery infrastructure, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, and announced a restructuring program to reduce its annual operating expenses.

Even though the company enjoyed a 14% growth in annual revenue, its fourth quarter net income was $60 million, down from $63 million from this time last year. Consequently, it has announced the implementation of a restructuring program and steps to reduce its headcount by approximately 10 percent. Florida jobs will surely be impacted, as the headquarters are located in Ft. Lauderdale.

"I’m pleased with our Q4 results and performance for 2008 – especially in the face of an extraordinary worldwide environment," said Mark Templeton, Citrix president and chief executive officer.

"While being fiscally cautious, we are more confident than ever in our vision and business strategy. Citrix products have a long track record of reducing IT costs, while simplifying enterprise computing – exactly what customers need.”

Florida Jobs Created by Military Contract

Over the last year, approximately 100,000 Florida jobs have been lost. One of the industries that has been struggling the most in the last 12 months, is construction. With the state having the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, there is little need for companies to start new projects. Altogether employers in the area have done away with 79,200 positions in this industry.

The loss of so many Florida jobs is the reason that the news of any new employment opportunities is such a big deal. Recently the Army signed a contract worth $122 million with Lockheed Martin Corp. which will create as many as 200 new high-tech jobs in Orlando.

This deal has Lockheed Martin’s soon-to-be new employees working on refining and testing the technology behind the Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM). This weapon is seen to be the next-generation combat missile used by the Apache helicopter and a variety of other military aircraft.

Aside from the new jobs at the company’s Orlando missiles unit, another 80 more new positions are expected to be created at Lockheed’s Ocala plant that specializes in defense-electronics. In addition to these jobs, 40 new employees will be needed at the missile factory in Troy, Alabama, said a company’s spokesperson.

Altogether, Lockheed employees approximately 4,000 individuals at its Sand Lake Road south Orlando facility. Statewide it has 11,000 individuals on its payroll at 24 different locations, making it the largest defense company in Florida.

Also receiving a similar contract is Raytheon Co., said a spokesperson for the Army. Some believe that this means that the two companies may have to compete to be the sole winner of future agreements sometime later on in this decade.

The JAGM is expected to replace both the Hellfire II and the Longbow Hellfire missiles on Apache helicopters used by the Army, the Marine’s Super Cobra and the Seahawk reconnaissance helicopter for the Navy. In addition to this, it will be the main weapon on the unmanned aerial Warrior vehicle and take over the Maverick missiles place on the Navy’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet.

Green Efforts to Create More Than 100,000 Florida Jobs

Green efforts should soon create thousands of new Florida jobs.

A new report states that investing in clean energy could create 123,756 jobs in Florida. The report was conducted by the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Center for American Progress.

“This new report shows that investing in clean energy is a win-win solution," St. Petersburg Councilman Karl Nurse said in an article by the St. Petersburg Times. "Shifting to clean energy will put more people to work and revitalize our economy at a time when many Americans are hurting."

The report included jobs that could be created by making houses and buildings more energy efficient; expanding mass transit and rail; constructing smart grids and investing in biofuels and solar and wind power.

Some positions these industries would need include machinists, truck drivers, sheet metal workers, electricians, roofers and builders. These are many of the same workers that are currently having trouble finding employment because of the failing housing industry.

As of July 2008, Florida's construction industry, which has been most affected by the housing crisis, employed 515,900 workers, a decrease of 12.9 percent from last year. The construction industry as a whole is expected to increase to 647,385 jobs by 2015, according to the State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. This is an increase of .87 percent from the 605,470 jobs the industry had in 2007.

The state's total non-farm employment in July 2008 was at 7,924,000 workers, a decrease of 1.2 percent from last year, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Florida Jobs with DOT in Trouble

According to Florida Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, major federal highway funding is expected to run out by the end of this month. If something doesn’t change in the immediate future, this could mean problems for the highways and the loss of many Florida jobs. Peters says that the shortage of funds can be blamed on the fact that American's are driving less due to the high cost of gas.

At this time, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that will have to cut the highway program by around 34 percent this fiscal year. This would amount to the loss of $573 million for the state and as many as 20,000 Florida jobs.

Add to this the fact that building and improvement costs have skyrocketed. Recent figures from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials show that, in the last five years, the cost of concrete has rise 36 percent. Asphalt is up by 70 percent, steel has risen by 105 percent, and the diesel needed to fuel equipment is now 300 percent more expensive.

"It means that many projects in the pipeline are going to be stopped," said Aashto director of Engineering Tony Kane. "It means that states are going to be telling construction contractors 'Forget it, there's no jobs this year.'"

According to Homan, the DOT has not yet made any decisions on who and what will be cut from the budget. At this time, it seems likely that Orange County will see the loss of jobs.

“If the I-4 ultimate build-out were to be funded, it would certainly include federal funds," said Homan. "The same is true for SR 528 widening. Neither is currently funded for construction, and 528 is not even funded for design."

Secretary Peters is currently pushing a measure through congress in hopes of adding $8 billion dollars to the fund, which could help to protect many Florida jobs. As of now, the measure has passed in the House.

Kane believes that, even if the government does okay the money, more permanent solutions needed to be investigated. "It's a real bandaid. It's a short term fix," he said. "It's going to get us through this fiscal year but next fiscal year its going to be the same thing."

Florida Job Growth Down, Says FIU Report

The last few months haven’t been easy for Florida job seekers. According to a recent report released by the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at Florida International University, unemployment has risen by 28 percent and job growth has drastically slowed down.

The study found that Florida job growth rose only 0.5 percent last year, which is significantly lower than the high of 4 percent experienced in 2005. The nation has a whole had a growth rate of 1.1 percent. Statistics show that now that the economy is becoming sluggish everywhere, Florida is being dragged down by the very industries that once held it above other states.

The report’s co-author, Bruce Nissen, a FIU professor of labor studies, said that the construction industry has had the hardest time. Approximately 54,000 jobs have been lost in this sector with in a relatively short time period. Only a few year prior, in the midst of a real-estate boom, Florida had a job growth rate that was higher than the country due to the accelerated need for new employees in the construction and real estate industry. Now, Florida is no. 1 in the nation in regards to foreclosures.

“These numbers show that Floridians have already begun to feel the effects of the slowing economy, job loss and flat wages,” said Nissen. “This, plus the simultaneous increases in the cost of living, makes the near future look very worrisome for working Floridians.”

The report found that wages remained flat last year and that the pay gap for minorities in Florida is growing wider. According to the report, one of the state’s seemingly best financial features is actually doing the area damage. The low tax rate is actually undermining growth, said Nissen and his colleague. Apparently, Floridians pay an average of 7.4 percent in state and local taxes. Although this is one of the lowest in the nation, most of these taxes are not tax-deductible. Because of this, the tax burden on residents is actually much higher than experienced outside of the state.

The FIU study does not leave the state with a dismal outlook and no hope of a solution. The writers included several steps that need to be taken in order to improve the quality of life for residents. A few of the suggestions made were that Florida officials expand the state’s job sector beyond tourism and real estate, work on the educational system, try to create a working relationship between academic institutions and near by industries and reform the state’s system of taxes.

"The challenge has to be met head on, with an understanding that all the parts depend on each other," said the report. "An employer needs educated workers. Those workers need good teachers. Good teachers need the support of taxpayers, and taxpayers need to understand how their money is being invested."

Bioscience Producing Florida Job Opportunities

The biosciences industry has been flourishing nationwide, and as of late has particularly accounted for many Florida jobs.

The biosciences industry includes: medicinal and botanical manufacturing, pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing, in-vitro diagnostic substance and biological product manufacturing, electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus manufacturing, analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing, irradiation apparatus manufacturing and medical equipment and supplies manufacturing.

In 2006, according to the State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, Florida's biosciences industry had 486 establishments and employed 25,058 people, an increase of 520 jobs from 2005. The majority of job gains were found in surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing at 7.1 percent and laboratory apparatus and furniture manufacturing at 18.1 percent. There was a 3.7 percent loss in water transportation.

The largest jobs in the industry in 2006 were surgical and medical instrument manufacturing with 7,738 jobs, surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing with 4,278 jobs and ophthalmic goods manufacturing with 4,001 jobs. These three sectors made up 63.9 percent of all biosciences employment.

As the primary function of the biosciences industry is to manufacture pharmaceutical and medical instruments, the majority of occupations within the industry are production related. The majority of positions are located in the southeast, central and northeast parts of the state. The average wage for a worker in the biosciences industry is $50,891.

The 15 largest bioscience occupations, which comprise only 41 percent of total industry employment, include:

• electrical and electronic equipment assemblers with an average hourly salary of $11.89
• team assemblers with an average hourly salary of $11.21
• inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers with an average hourly salary of $15.73
• ophthalmic laboratory technicians with an with an average hourly salary of $12.19
• first-line supervisors of production and operating workers with an average hourly salary of $24.81
• electrical engineers with an average hourly salary of $36.41
• industrial engineers with an average hourly salary of $30.92
• customer service representatives with an average hourly salary of $13.52
• machinists with an average hourly salary of $16.28
• electromechanical equipment assemblers with an average hourly salary of $12.19
• packaging and filling machine operators and tenders with an average hourly salary of $10.97
• packers and packagers with an average hourly salary of $8.86
• shipping, receiving and traffic clerks with an average hourly salary of $12.37
• structural metal fabricators and fitters with an average hourly salary of $14.77
• general office clerks with an average hourly salary of $11.36

Among these occupations, 10 are expected to add jobs through 2014. Four of the 15 largest occupations have an average hourly wage greater than $16 per hour. Packers and packagers and ophthalmic laboratory technicians are predicted to be two of the fastest growing occupations in the biotechnology industry, with projected annual growth rates of 2.59 percent and 2.17 percent, respectively.

Governor Tries to Create Florida Jobs By Attracting Foreign Businesses

Recently there's been a lot of news about how Florida's job market isn't doing so hot. The state has been named number one in the country for jobs lost and number two for foreclosures. On top of that, there is the fact that Florida has apparently been losing jobs to China for years.

Despite this, unemployment decreased in June to 5.5 percent. Originally the Agency for Workforce Innovation said that that May’s jobless rate was 5.5, the same as the national average, but refigured data to find that it was actually 5.6 percent.

Although the positive news of even a small unemployment decline is something Floridians need right now, the jobless rate is still the second-highest it has been in more than five years. According to Agency officials, Florida has lost 78,100 jobs in the last 12 months ending in June. This means that approximately 508,000 individuals are without work.

In hopes of improving Florida's job market Agency director Monesia T. Brown says that Governor Charlie Crist and the state Legislature is adding job training projects and trying to stimulate construction.

"The governor's been very focused on creating opportunity for more jobs in Florida," Crist's spokesperson Sterling Ivy agreed.

According to Ivy, Governor Crist is currently putting a lot of effort into trade with hopes of attracting foreign businesses to Florida. His focus has been mainly centered on the United Kingdom, France, Russia and Spain.

Hopefully these efforts will soon pan out, because state economist have recently predicted that it isn't likely that Florida will recover from its dismal economic situation until sometime near the end of 2009. This is six months later than was previously forecasted.

The economists also believe that the state's unemployment is going to continue to climb, despite the small decline experienced in June. According to them, the jobless rate will hit 6.03 percent before things start to improve. The last time unemployment was reached this high was in January of 2002 when most of the country was experiencing higher than normal jobless rates due to the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks of the previous year.

Other factors causing problems for Florida's economy include a heavy reliance on housing and population growth along, which have both been hurt by the housing slump and issues with the credit market. Increasing prices for both food and gasoline are not helping matters.

Orlando Job Market Not Growing

According to Metrostudy's second quarter report, the same number of Orlando jobs existed in June of this year as in June of 2007. This means that the area has experienced no notable growth in employment so far in 2008. The suffering housing market is believed to be at least partially to blame.

The number of new single-family home construction projects in the area has declined by 46.3 percent since the second quarter of 2007. During this time last year there were 3,166 homes in the process of being built. At this time there are only 1,701 such structures. The state is also No.2 in the nation for foreclosures.

The condition of the housing market effects more than just real estate agents and new home buyers. A lack of new dwellings being built means a significant decrease in the number of construction jobs in the area. So far, Florida has lost a total of 82,000 jobs in this industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This has caused the state to be ranked as number one in the country for jobs lost.

This 13.5 percent decline means that the state has lost more jobs in construction than any other industry. Overall, Florida has lost 106,100 jobs since June of last year, which is a decrease of 1.3 percent.

Despite posting no real job growth, Orlando's unemployment rate remains comparably low at 5.3 percent. The state's jobless rate is 5.7 percent while the national average is 5.5 percent. Although the area may be fairing better than the rest of Florida, no real job growth means Orlando can't afford to lose many more positions.

This fact makes it more difficult to hear that Elsevier Inc. recently announced that it will be doing away with 77 jobs in Orlando, according to a notice filed with the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. The company, which is a publisher of science and health textbooks, plans to shut down its customer-service department near SeaWorld. The responsibilities from this office will be designated to the companies other locations. Elsevier will eliminate these positions in four phases, which begin in on September 30th and end on June 30th of 2009.

74,700 Florida Jobs Lost in the Last Year

Jobs in Florida are disappearing more quickly than anywhere else in the nation. According the Miami Herald, Florida has lost in excess of 74,700 jobs in the last 12 months, which is more than any other state.

“We’re No. 1 in job losses. Absolutely,” said Frank Williams, chief economist with the Department of Revenue.

Clyde Diao, one of Gov. Charlie Crist’s economists, agrees. “We were No. 1 in jobs created in the entire county [in 2005]. Now, if you count the District of Columbia, we’re 51.” Both economist believe that these conditions will likely continue at least until next June, making this the most gloomy financial forecast for the state in years. Experts are predicting that by the end of the month, Florida’s job-loss rate will be higher than the nation’s for the first time since 2002.
At the root of the problem is the housing market slump. Currently the state is No. 2 in the nation for foreclosures, surpassed by only California. This has caused problems for both the financial services and construction industries.

Economists have projected that new housing construction will drop to approximately 60,000 units this year, which is a 78 percent decrease from 2005 when 283,000 new homes were built. Through out the state construction project spending, including that which will go towards public buildings, is expected to drop 21.5 percent to $10.6 billion.

Figures show that if it wasn’t for job gains in health and education and several low-paying services fields, then the recorded losses would be much greater. In the last year 77,000 construction jobs have been lost and 23,000 manufacturing positions.

Also declining is the amount of money employers are offering to workers. According to Amy Baker, chief of the Legislature’s Economic and Demographic Research agency, this year wages are expected to fall by 2.7 percent when compared to last budget year.

Despite this, Baker believes that signs of improvement are beginning to be show up. “We’re starting to see signs of things starting to stabilize in Florida-- at a very low level, not where we want to be,” she said. “But I think we’re seeing some hints, some very early hints, that things are stabilizing.”

As if to illustrate this, the state’s unemployment rate for June fell slightly. In May, 5.6 percent of the population was unable to find work. This fell by .1 percent last month, causing the state to have the same unemployment rate of 5.5 percent as is the national average.