Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

#3 Number One Workforce

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

• At 9.3 million, 4th largest labor pool in the U.S.

• Ranked No. 1 state for Talent Pipeline in 2012 and Workforce and Training in 2011 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Chamber Foundation. Singled out in both instances for efficient job placement, high share of high school seniors taking advanced placement exams and affordable, efficient higher education system


STRENGTH IN ASSETS

• Highly educated: 4th among all states for workers with bachelor’s degrees

• Diverse cultural backgrounds: 19.2% of Floridians were born outside the U.S.; 26.6% speak a language other than English at home

• Multilingual skills: 5 million Florida workers are multilingual speakers

• A right-to-work state: 3rd lowest private sector unionization rate in the U.S.

• Well-informed: three Florida cities — Miami, Gainesville and Orlando — are on Amazon’s 2012 list of the top 20 “Most Well-Read Cities” in America


STRENGTH IN PREPARATION

Public/charter schools

• One of the first states to incorporate a voluntary pre-kindergarten (VPK) program into its statewide public school system

• A statewide K-12 system that considers reading and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum priorities

• 3rd nationwide in charter school enrollment (179,900-plus)

Postsecondary education

• 12 public universities, 28 state colleges, 31 independent colleges and universities, 1,000-plus public/private postsecondary, technical and trade schools

• No Floridian lives more than 50 miles from an institution of postsecondary learning

• The number of Floridians with associate’s, bachelor’s and advanced degrees has increased at almost double the national rate since 2000

• State and community colleges ranking among America’s top degree producers

Workforce training

• Customizable training programs available to match companies’ unique workforce needs

• Strategic investment in evaluating Florida’s talent supply and demand and improving business satisfaction with the state’s talent pipeline

For details about workforce services, incentives and training programs available to Florida employers, visit www.workforceflorida.com