Local outlook on workforce is mixed despite jobs being added nationally
CareerSource Capital Region there are hurdles to filling jobs, college students are weary of entering the workforce.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Cuts to the federal workforce have received plenty of attention since President Trump took office, yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics says 228,000 jobs were added in March.
I'm Alberto Camargo in downtown Tallahassee.
Digging into what the market looks like locally, how federal spending could affect job placement services, and how the next wave of job seekers feel about the workforce.
The BLS report says national unemployment remains around 4.2% — or 7.1 million total people.
Here in our region, CareerSource Capital Region CEO Jim McShane says there are 6,000 unemployed people — but 10,000 open jobs.
Mostly in healthcare, transportation logistics, and retail.
Trades like construction and plumbing are also in demand.
"Our goal is to get them into a job that they're going to be good at."
CareerSource spends around $300,000 each year to get job seekers into work through paying for trade school or short-term training.
That money comes from the U.S. Department of Labor — and with the uncertainty in Washington I asked McShane if that money has been affected.
"At the moment we don't know. We wish we did, but we don't think so. We read the plan for 2025, and we're in it, so they like us. So let's hope that stays the same. We're cautiously optimistic is the best way to put it."
McShane says CareerSource hasn't received its 2025 budget yet, but he has no reason to believe they might lose that federal funding.
And for the thousands of college students in Tallahassee, a booming job market doesn't exactly translate into confidence.
"It just feels very overwhelming I would say."
Catherine Valoz is set to graduate from Florida State this semester.
She says she would only consider staying in Tallahassee to work at a state agency.
But the wave of government efficiency has turned her off from the public sector in her preferred field of emergency management.
"That's why I've shifted into human resources, because there is a fear that in two years or however many years, we're not going to have that sector of the government that I want to work in."
When it comes to filling local jobs, McShane says the most common hurdles are access to childcare, reliable transportation and affordable housing.
In downtown Tallahassee, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
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