Hiring prospects in Lee County strongest in nation

Lee County has the strongest hiring prospects for the first quarter among employers in the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the nation.

That’s according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, released Tuesday by ManpowerGroup.

Listed as “Cape Coral-Fort Myers” in the survey, the statistical area represents the metro area. Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; Dallas; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Provo-Orem, Utah, round out the “strongest” list.

Among employers surveyed in this market, 37 percent plan to hire more employees from January through March. This number is offset by the 2 percent that plan to reduce payrolls. Fifty-seven percent of employers expect to maintain staff levels and 4 percent indicate they are not sure of their hiring plans. This yields a net employment outlook of 35 percent.

“Last year at this time, employers expected less hiring activity, when the outlook was 32 percent," said Manpower spokesperson Judy Leppla.

About 55 people have been hired at the Jason's Deli that will open Thursday at Gulf Coast Landings, across from Gulf Coast Town Center.

Still, there are openings for 10 more. If interested in working there, applicants are asked to stop by in the afternoon, after the lunch rush.

"We're doing almost instant interviews," said Diana Willis, who co-owns the store and five others with her husband Scott. "This is the first drive-thru location we’ve opened and it’s only the second location in the state with a drive-thru."

The location is attractive due to its proximity to the airport, the interstate and FGCU: "We've been needing to be there for a long time."

John Lai, area general manager for Interstate Hotels & Resorts, oversees operations for four Sanibel properties: Sanibel Inn, Seaside Inn, Song of the Sea and Sunset Beach Resort.

“We are absolutely ramping up,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of spots on our sales team that we know we need to fill.”

More positions, however, were added earlier in the year. Other than the two sales jobs, “we plan on maintaining the jobs that we currently have. We will potentially add a couple of jobs, but nothing significant.”

The average weekly wage in Lee County in the first quarter of this year, across all industries, was $762. That’s according to the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Looking at the first quarter the past few years, that figure has ticked up slightly. It was $737 in 2012, $739 in 2013 and $749 in 2014.

Amy Furlow, interim center supervisor for the CareerSource Southwest Florida location that serves the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area, said "large growth" is driving hiring.

Activity is brisk at the center that works to connect employers and job seekers, but she expects it to begin to drop off as Christmas approaches.

"Right now, it’s still strong," she said. "I would imagine that companies are wrapping that up. Now is the time for job seekers to come in for more one-on-one personal touch and direction as we try to sustain those employers."

Businesses are aiming to fill shortages in certain areas, she added, notably in health and construction fields: "Companies are really going to ramp up to fill those positions."

On the flip side, the weakest outlooks are projected in Hartford, Connecticut; Chicago; Kansas City, Missouri; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The survey reflects continued optimism about U.S. employers for the beginning of 2016, with hiring in the first quarter predicted to be relatively stable compared to the fourth quarter of this year and last year at this time. The overall outlook represents the strongest outlook reported in the first quarter since 2007.

Of the more than 11,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 20 percent anticipate increasing staff levels in the first quarter. This is a 1 percent drop from the fourth quarter, but a small gain from the first quarter of 2015. Six percent of employers expect workforce reductions, and 72 percent expect no change in hiring plans. The final 2 percent of employers are undecided about their hiring intentions.

“We’ve seen strong jobs growth in the U.S. throughout 2015, along with declining unemployment and increasing wages, which brings a continued optimism for the start of 2016,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup CEO. “We expect these broad trends to continue going into 2016, despite ongoing challenges in certain sectors like energy and manufacturing, as well as in export-driven industries."

Employers have a positive outlook in all 13 industry sectors included in the survey, with Leisure & Hospitality (+ 30 percent), Transportation & Utilities (+ 23 percent) Wholesale & Retail Trade (+22 percent) and Professional & Business Services (+18 percent) employers reporting the strongest hiring intentions.

Among the 50 states, employers in Hawaii, Florida, Kansas and Michigan indicate the strongest employment outlooks, while New Jersey, Wyoming, Illinois and Alaska project the weakest outlooks.

Globally, first-quarter hiring confidence is strongest in India, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey and the U.S. The weakest and only negative forecasts are reported in Brazil, Finland and France.

Connect with this reporter: email clogan@news-press.com and follow on Twitter @caseylo