Recent Sarasota Real Estate News

Sarasota Florida May Be The Best Place To Look For A Job

April 05, 2008

     If you're looking for a new job, you should be looking in Florida.

     While in the first quarter of 2008, Florida employment fell as it did just about everywhere, the employment trends which have been evident over the past several years contjniue to indicate growth. Over the past five years, Florida had 5 of the 10 hottest labor markets in the U.S. according to a Bizjournals Article.  The Cape Coral-Fort Myers held the first place in the national rankings, while Sarasota-Bradenton, Orlando, Lakeland and Miami-Fort Lauderdale were also in the top 10 job-creating locales.  These 5 Florida markets have all enjoyed strong job growth and low unemployment rates since 2001.

     Even though 1st quarter, 2008, Sarasota-Bradenton workplaces actually shed about 11,000 jobs, the area had the second fastest job growth rate at 26.8% for the period 2001 to 2007 and that trend is expected to continue.   The five Florida markets mentioned in the article in total added a half-million jobs since 2001, led by gains of 194,900 jobs in Miami and 158,000 in Orlando.

     Bizjournals uses a nine-part formula to analyze the employment situations in the 100 major markets. The current top-10 areas based on mid-year data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2001 through 2007 were as follows:

1. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Phoenix, AZ
4. Sarasota - Bradenton, FL
5. Orlando, FL
6. Riverside- - San bernadino, CA
7. Lakeland, FL
8. Boise. ID
9. Washington, DC
10. Miami - Ft Lauderdale, FL

     At the bottom of the list of 100 job markets were New Orleans, LA, Detroit, MI and San Jose, CA each of which lost more than 125,000 jobs in the 2001 - 2007 period.

     Florida in general, and the Sarasota Florida area in particular, have enjoyed a steady inflow of new residents due in part to four major job-creation industries and trends,

• the tourism industry
• high-tech engineering services
• computer systems design and related services
• the swelling numbers of people who retire in the Sunshine State and require services

     If you are considering moving to Florida to find a job, you may want to visit Florida Job Seekers page on the State of Florida website.

      For a permanent home, vacation getaway or an investment property, the Sarasota real estate market, with its recent price correction, is hard to beat.  I invite you to request my free Sarasota Real Estate Package or call me directly at 941-228-2321 or toll-free at my Sarasota RE/MAX Office at 800-966-2334.