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Finding work after college has been an annoying exercise in patience for many members of the millennial generation, as evidenced by the most recent Florida jobs report.
The Great Recession was rude enough to raise food and oil costs, increase inflation and unemployment, and create an incredibly hostile job market for degree-toting graduates. Whether you’re from Texas, California, New York, or Florida like myself, coming out of college and moving forward to step two of your life is rarely an easy process. Thankfully, things may not be as bleak as they’ve looked in the past, even if we’re not exactly walking into a new golden age either.
Cloudy Times in the Sunshine State
Being a Florida native, the Tampa Bay Times’ recent data about Florida’s economy struck a chord with me and serve as a microcosm of how things are looking on a broader level.
At a 5.2 percent, Florida’s unemployment rate is just below the national average of 5.1 and right in the middle of the rankings when we’re comparing ourselves to other states. This is a seven-year low both across the country and in Florida, which is fantastic except for the problem that a good portion of the remaining people still looking for jobs are millennials.
In other words, unemployment is at the best it’s been in seven years, but it appears employers still don’t have the confidence to bring newer recruits or graduates on to the team. Crucial entry-level positions are still apparently unavailable to our generation.
“Hi! My Name’s ___. How Can I Be of Service to You?”
While I’m not exactly a professor or Nobel Prize winner, when only 2,100 jobs were added to the Florida job market this past month you can conclude that millennials looking to establish themselves into their respective fields face an uphill battle. It’s true that unemployment is at an all-time low, but we apparently make up 40 percent of the people still unable to find work, according to Anthony Carnevale, a director and research professor for Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, in Newsweek.
Florida lost jobs in five major industries last month, including government, professional and business services, education and health services, manufacturing (1,500 gigs) and information, whereas the largest growing industry of the month is hospitality. After trudging through years of college and preparing yourself for future ambition and goals, a fresh career in the hospitality sector isn’t necessarily the shining job a lot of us have been striving towards. Not to knock on hospitality majors of course, but the five major industries that are failing in Florida cover a large gamut of other studies and endeavors.
Our Take
It’s true unemployment is down. The economy is recovering. Things aren’t nearly as intimidating as they looked when you were trying to get a job in 2008. Even still, it’s not all sunshine and roses for those of us preparing for step two of that whole “life” equation.
