Tuesday's Daily Pulse
Florida's Best Companies to Work For - 2012
To identify Florida’s best employers, Florida Trend partners with the Best Companies Group, which surveyed firms that chose to participate. Any firm with at least 15 employees in Florida, including firms based outside the state, could participate at no cost. See the full list of Best Companies here and some selected business profiles below. All profiles can be viewed here.
Large Companies (250 or more employees)
» RCI, No. 3 / Travel & Hospitality
Midsized Companies (50 to 249 employees)
» RN Network, No. 1 / Staffing
Small Companies (15 to 49 employees)
» iVenture Solutions, No 6 / Technology
 From left: RCI employees Lee Rushin, Todd Menendez and Jennifer Long [Photo: Brook Pifer] |
State economists: Florida's jobs picture to remain bleak
Florida's unemployment rate probably won't change much between now and the end of the year, and the jobs picture is set to remain bleak through 2016, a team of state economists said Monday. With a troubled real estate market and trouble brewing in Europe, the state economy faces a prolonged uphill climb, according to the Economic Estimating Conference, a group of state labor experts. [Source: Times/Herald]
Florida tops in construction job losses
Despite a recent surge in homebuilding, Florida is a tough place to find construction work. The Sunshine State lost 24,600 construction jobs in June, the most in the nation, according to figures from the Associated General Contractors of America. Half the states and Washington, D.C., gained residential and construction jobs last month compared with a year ago, the trade group said. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The latest jobs report contains an ominous clue to the future of hiring in South Florida: less demand for temporary workers. Temporary hiring can be a leading indicator for recoveries and downturns because “temps” are often used when sales increase but companies don’t feel confident enough to make permanent hires. [Source: Miami Herald]
Florida breaks top 10 in venture capital deals in 2nd quarter
Florida vaulted higher in the venture-capital rankings of U.S. states during the second quarter, as nearly a dozen companies received a combined $95 million from wealthy investment firms — a 163 percent increase from the previous quarter, according to a new survey.
[Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› July sizzles for Brazilian visitors to Miami [Miami Herald]
Even though the Brazilian economy is cooling off, Brazilian visitors to South Florida are expected to set new records. July is a peak time for visits.
» Related: Day when Brazilians can travel to the U.S. without a visa may be getting closer
› Be ready for more gambling talk next year [Times/Herald]
With Florida emerging as one of the largest gambling states in the nation, legislative leaders are prepared to put gaming regulation center stage in the next two years and renegotiate the revenue-sharing compact with the Seminole Tribe at least a year early.
› Fort Lauderdale plans massive borrowing to cover pension costs [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The city has found a new way to shore up its pension funds and reduce budget expenses: Borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to bet in the stock market.
› Pharmacies offering pneumonia, shingles vaccines [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Recognizing the health threat that pneumonia and shingles pose, the state Legislature has added a new soldier in the fight to prevent them: your local pharmacy.
The Vaccine Access Act, which went into effect statewide on July 1, allows pharmacies to offer shingles and pneumonia vaccines, a convenience previously available only for flu shots.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Working out in the middle of the working day [Reuters]
With the three-martini lunch gone the way of the typewriter, office workers are free to discover the healthier perks of midday movement.
An active lunchtime can range from the sweaty to the serene, experts say, from a full-out cardio blast to a walk in the park.
› UF Tech Connect program awarded grant for starting technology companies [UF News]
The University of Florida is the only university in the state and among only 10 universities in the region to receive a federal five-year grant this month to promote the formation of technology startup companies based on university research discoveries.
› Hard work, research key to success, avoiding scams [Lakeland Ledger]
In an economy with many jobless and others barely getting by, the enticing promises that a lot of work-at-home businesses tout may be hard to resist. After all, who wouldn't want to make $1,000 per day, fire his or her boss, buy a beach house in the Bahamas and retire early?
› JaxPort board supports pay raise for union workers [Florida Times-Union]
The Jacksonville Port Authority board on Monday agreed to a pay raise for union-represented workers, boosting their paychecks by 75 cents per hour starting Oct. 1.
The agreement covers 71 positions at JaxPort and equates to an overall 3 percent increase in pay for those workers represented by the Federation of Public Employees.