ORLANDO, Fla. -- Gov. Rick Scott has used the premise of jobs as a staple of his campaign to win Florida’s governorship twice. Now it’s the center of his freshly launched campaign for U.S. Senate.
- Jobs in center of U.S. Senate campaign for Rick Scott
- Scott also used jobs as staple of Fla. governorship campaign
- Florida has seen 1.4 million new jobs since Dec. 2010
- Democrats say wages for some families are unlivable
In a bid for the state’s top job nearly eight years ago, Scott promised to create 700,000 new jobs.
He entered office in Jan. 2011, in the throes of the Great Recession, which first started to hit Florida since the end of 2006. The major brunt of the recession wouldn’t come until 2008, several years before Rick Scott became governor.
While it was not within the seven-year deadline, statistics from the United States Department of Labor shows Scott has been at the helm of a state that’s seen 1.4 million new jobs since Dec. 2010.
Orlando is at the top of the list for new jobs, adding 42,000 private sector jobs in 2017 that includes 12,300 new jobs in the tourism industry.
Tourism remains the largest but not sole industry in Central Florida.
Orlando Economic Partnership estimates more than 268,000 people are employed by the area’s theme park, restaurant and tourism-related businesses.
While the governor has made much ado about his record, so have Democrats, who say pay for families remain an unlivable wage.
“The types of jobs are not jobs we can live on, that Florida families can work one or two jobs and still have time to spend with families,” said Juan Penalosa with Florida Democratic Party said.
“Jobs that Rick Scott is bringing to the state are jobs required to work three, or four, and no time for family, and at the same time, healthcare costs are skyrocketing,” Penalosa added.
According to the United States Department of Labor, the average wage for those in Florida’s major industries have grown slightly in the decade since the start of the Great Recession.
Food preparation and serving-related jobs
2007
Average Hourly Wage: $9.70
Average Annual Salary: $20,180
2017
Average Hourly Wage: $12.89
Average Annual Salary: $26,820
Construction and extraction occupations
2007
Average Hourly Wage: $16.78
Average Annual Salary: $34,890
2017
Average Hourly Wage: $19.21
Average Annual Salary: $39,960
All occupations
2007
Average Hourly Wage: $17.47
Average Annual Salary: $36,300
2017
Average Hourly Wage: $21.35
Average Annual Salary: $44,410
Source: United States Department of Labor
Dr. Sean Snaith, Director of Institute for Economic Competitiveness at University of Central Florida’s College of Business said a loss of construction jobs was the first signal of an oncoming recession.
“Florida started to see about a third of the way through 2006 some slippage in terms of jobs in the construction sector,” Dr. Snaith said. “We started to see that job growth begin to taper off, and then finally go negative by mid-2006.”
The less of the recession and hits to tourism industry after 9/11 taught local leaders about the need to develop diversified industries in Central Florida, including technology, medical and computer science.
Gov. Scott’s office said Orlando remains the second-highest metro area in demand for STEM-related jobs, currently with 11,000 related openings.
Florida’s growing population is also a driver in the state’s growing economy and number of jobs.
“If you want a state to grow faster, add more people to it,” Dr. Snaith said. “As more people migrate to the state, and Florida’s population continues to grow, demand for goods and services in the state grows, along with it all of the things households purchase.”
Florida surpassed New York as the third most populous state in the United States, with more than 21 million residents.