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Southwest Florida continued to gain tourism jobs in September; some hotels reopening

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Southwest Florida continued to gain tourism jobs in September; some hotels reopening

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The Naples area has added thousands of jobs in the tourism industry over the past year.

In September, the area had the fastest job growth rate of all metros in the state in leisure and hospitality – at 8.1%. That’s based on private employers adding 2,200 jobs in the sector over the year, according to a report released Friday by FloridaCommerce.

In the past year, several new resorts and hotels have opened, including the Great Wolf Lodge last month.

While tourism has taken a beating from back-to-back hurricanes, the first one – Helene – didn’t hit until near the end of September. Milton followed less than two weeks later.

The impacts of those storms are still being assessed in the Naples metro – essentially Collier County. However, most of the hotels and resorts with damage along the coast have already reopened.

In an email Friday, the Vanderbilt Beach Resort announced its back in business, stating: “We have cleared the sand and cleaned up debris, and the resort looks as if Hurricane Milton never happened!”

Nearby, the Ritz-Carlton, Naples on the same beach plans to reopen Saturday. It’s one of the county’s largest employers, supplying hundreds of jobs.

Kevin Donahue, director of sales and marketing, reported “no job impacts” from the recent storms.

What other industries saw job gains in Southwest Florida?

In a bigger-picture view, the Naples area gained a total of 4,900 jobs over the year. That included 900 in construction and 700 in education and health services.

Meanwhile, the Fort Myers area – essentially Lee County – added a total of 5,100. The sectors gaining the most jobs: Construction (+2,200) and government (+2,100). Those were followed by leisure and hospitality (+600).

The tourism industry in Lee took a harder beating from Helene and Milton, with more resorts and hotels still closed, as they work to cleanup and rebuild. For some, recovery could take weeks, if not months, impacting jobs.

On a brighter note, the Fort Myers area tied for the fastest annual job growth rate in government, compared to all metros in the state, in September (+4.5 %).

In Lee, the labor force shrank by 2,160 over the year, however, while in Collier it grew by 1,071.

What about unemployment rates in the region?

Jobless rates remained low in the two counties in September. Unemployment stood at 3.7% in both Lee and Collier.

Here’s how the others in the five-county region stacked up:

  • Charlotte: 4.3%
  • Glades: 4.6%
  • Hendry: 5.9%

Hendry had the highest unemployment rate in the state.

On the flip side, Miami-Dade had the lowest – at 2.1%.

Economists consider a jobless rate of 4% to 5% “full employment”, as there are always workers between jobs and businesses in flux.

Statewide, the unemployment rate remained at 3.3% in September.

What industries added the most jobs statewide?

Across Florida, employers added 175,600 private sector jobs over the year.

These industries gained the most jobs: Trade, transportation, and utilities (+46,100), education and health services (+41,300), construction (+37,100), leisure and hospitality (+34,000), government (+29,100), and other services (+15,900).

A few industries shed jobs including manufacturing (-400) and information (-1,000). Financial activities lost the most at 2,300.

The statewide impact on tourism and other jobs from Helene and Milton is still unknown.

FloridaCommerce has approved more than $5.1 million in funding through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program for 125 businesses impacted by Hurricane Milton, more than $12 million for 290 small businesses affected by Hurricane Helene, and $3.9 million for 107 small businesses hurt by Hurricane Debby.

In August, Debby hit the Big Bend of Florida, less than 50 miles from where Helene later landed in September. Not long after, Milton blew ashore near Sarasota Oct. 9.

“Immediately after Hurricane Milton made landfall, Governor DeSantis directed FloridaCommerce small business strike teams into the field to connect with impacted businesses and provide direct support,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly in a statement. “Above all else, Florida’s unwavering focus on small businesses and the workforce will ensure recovery to be efficient and robust for our private sector.”

In the week ending Oct. 12, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that 6,128 initial unemployment claims were filed in the state. A week earlier, those claims surged to 9,556 in the aftermath of Helene. That’s the highest number in the state since Hurricane Ian hit in 2022, devastating parts of Southwest Florida.

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