WDB / Center for Business Excellence
329 Bill France Boulevard
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(386) 323-7074
boardsource@wdb-fvc.org |
Agency for Workforce Innovation
AARP Senior Comm. Service Employment
Agricultural & Labor Program, Inc.
Career Steps, Inc.
Child Care Resource Network, Inc.
City of Daytona Beach Housing Authority
Central Florida CDC
Daytona Beach Community College
Department of Children & Families
Department of Corrections
Department of Education Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Revenue Division of Child Support Enforcement
Enterprise Flagler, Inc.
Experience Works
Family Crisis Center
Family Renew Community, Inc.
Flagler County Palm Coast Chamber
Flagler County Schools
GP&P
Henkels & McCoy, Inc.
Hope Fellowship Church
Mid-Florida Community Services
One Voice for Volusia
PACE Center for Girls, Inc.
Policy Studies, Inc.
St. Johns River Community Action Partnership, Inc.
Stewart Marchman Center
The Chamber, Daytona Beach Halifax Area
The Florida Institute of Workforce Innovation
The Paxen Group, Inc.
Training Initiatives, Inc.
UCP of East Central Florida/WORC, Inc.
United Way of Volusia & Flagler Counties, Inc.
Volusia/Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless, Inc.
Volusia County Hispanic Association
Volusia County Chamber Alliance
Volusia County Department of Economic Dev.
Volusia County Human Services
Volusia County Schools
Magnet Business Accounts
Partner Business Accounts
|
|  |
|
|
Area Unemployment Rate Continues to Drop
It’s become a job-seeker’s market. The Volusia/Flagler area now reflects a rate of 3.2, down from a rate of 4.5 just a year ago. Everyone who wants to work is working and the available pool of skilled workers is shrinking with every fractional decrease in the unemployment rate. That’s great news for skilled job-seekers who may now face having to choose between multiple job opportunities, but not good news for businesses.
With a shrinking pool of available applicants in the market, businesses are forced to spend more dollars on recruitment efforts and work harder and more creatively to attract and retain employees. Many are faced with shrinking recruitment budgets and staff during a time when maximum outreach is required to reach even a small number of interested candidates.
“It is very possible that the unemployment rate will continue to drop with our current sustained rate of job growth. Our growing pains were inevitable and the market situation will not go away overnight,” stated Sharon Warriner, Communications Manager for the WDB Center for Business Excellence. “It’s a great opportunity for us to encourage businesses that traditionally have not used our services, to look to us now to help buoyant their current recruitment efforts. Our services are pre-paid, and there is no charge to them to access services.”
Some local companies have already recognized the long-term recruitment challenge ahead and have begun to partner with the school system to attempt to harness student interest in their industry prior to graduation. Other businesses are advertising out of area or have joined the ranks of those working to woo employed individuals from their competition to gain the skill set they require. Senior citizen outreach and low level ex-offender populations are now being considered as a strategy for some businesses to meet their local hiring needs.
According to the labor market report released from the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) for the month of October, there were 4,000 new jobs in the metro area created over the past twelve months. 1,000 of those jobs were associated with the professional and business services industry. According to state sources, much of that growth reflected the increased usage of employment leasing companies. Education and health services industries followed with 900 new jobs.
Businesses interested in accessing the services of the WDB Center for Business Excellence to assist with recruitment and training needs may contact our Business Services Unit at (386) 323-7008 for assistance.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
|
|
|
