State of Working Florida

This report presents annual data on the Florida labor force and comparisons with the U.S. The annual State of Working Florida report is our comprehensive look at job creation, wages, benefits, incomes and unionization in the current year and over time, to gauge the health of the economy for ordinary Floridians.

The State of Working Florida 2020

Saturday September 5, 2020

The 17th edition of the State of Working Florida focuses on the state’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the pandemic upended 10 years of sustained employment growth following the Great Recession of 2009. The shock of a global pandemic led to mass layoffs and business closures as fear of infection disrupted commerce and travel across the world. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Florida’s labor market. The report’s assessment of the pandemic’s impact on distinct regions, industries, and demographic groups in Florida elucidates the complexity of a pandemic recession.

The State of Working Florida 2019

Wednesday August 28, 2019

The 16th edition of the State of Working Florida reviews Florida’s economy a decade after the financial crisis that sparked the Great Recession. In 2009, Florida and states across the U.S. began to deal with the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in the country since the Great Depression. Throughout the state, homes were boarded up, credit dried up, jobs were lost, and millions of workers and their families were suffering. This report seeks to answer the question, where are we a decade later?

The State of Working Florida 2018

Monday September 10, 2018

The 15th edition takes a look at Florida's knowledge-driven economy and wages. The 2018 report finds that as Florida’s economy has become a knowledge-driven economy with an increasingly more diverse workforce, the economic gains have not been spread evenly. A tight labor market and increases in productivity have only led to modest wage gains while historically marginalized groups, like black/African Americans, continue to face disproportionately lower labor market outcomes. The report concludes by providing examples of potential investments that Florida policymakers can implement to leverage the state’s increasing diversity and dynamism while further growing the state’s economy.

The State of Working Florida 2017

Thursday August 31, 2017

The 14th edition of State of Working Florida finds that, while Florida’s economic and employment levels have recovered from the Great Recession, levels of economic security have not improved. The report shows that increases in the share of low-wage employment and the persistence of wage disparities for women and people of color after the Great Recession enabled an uneven economic recovery and fueled greater income inequality. In 2015, 26.6 percent of all Floridians were either poor or near poverty. This means that more than a quarter of Floridians earn income that is 150 percent or less than the federal poverty line.

The State of Working Florida 2016

Monday September 12, 2016

The 13th edition of State of Working Florida finds that Florida is increasingly becoming more economically polarized. Between 2009 and 2014, some in the middle class have achieved considerable economic mobility, as observed in the growth of the upper class, but the inability of many middle and working class households to climb the economic ladder has led to a greater concentration of households at opposite ends of the economic spectrum while the middle class has shrunk. The research finds that the economic polarization of classes in Florida is largely a reflection of an occupational structure offering fewer middle income jobs that facilitate upward mobility. Many working Floridians continue to be perpetually stuck in low-wage occupations while occupations that have historically facilitated upward economic mobility have eroded. At the same time, recent growth in occupations with high education and/or skill requirements have provided some with the opportunity to achieve high incomes. Furthermore, the persistence of traditional forms of economic marginalization, based on race and sex, further complicates the ability of some Floridians to achieve economic mobility.

The State of Working Florida 2015

Sunday September 6, 2015

The 2015 State of Working Florida report points to a continued increase in wage inequality since 1980. Report author Dr. Jorge Zumaeta structured this year’s analysis around the issue of inequality in Florida and its many dimensions. The report highlights the wage and income disparities between those at top and those on the bottom of the earnings distribution and explains some of the consequences of the growing gap. The report concludes that low wage earners in Florida have not benefited much from the economic growth in the past 35 years.

The State of Working Florida 2014

Monday September 1, 2014

This 11th edition of State of Working Florida focuses on wage inequality in Florida through an analysis of labor market and demographic indicators for the period between 1980 and 2013. At the core of this edition are the questions ‘how unequal is Florida today and how has inequality changed over time?’

The State of Working Florida 2013

Monday September 2, 2013

This 10th edition of State of Working Florida takes a comprehensive look at the economic lives of Floridians by asking ‘how has our standard of living changed since the year 2000?’. For the purpose of this analysis we focus on four main areas that shape standard of living: employment, income and inequality,living costs, and poverty

The State of Working Florida 2012

Monday September 3, 2012

This year’s State of Working Florida highlights how slow job creation has created growing inequalities in wages and among groups. The Great Recession ended in 2009 but Florida continues to do worse than other states, especially those that have been able to boost manufacturing, which has in turn spurred growth. This slow recovery has meant that many workers are working less hours and for less pay than they did in 2010. Additionally Florida’s typical worker is taking home about $1,000 less.

The State of Working Florida 2011

Saturday September 3, 2011

This report focuses on how workers are faring in Florida’s economy, and the overriding theme in 2011 is the stark contrasts in the impact of the recession on different groups of workers.

The State of Working Florida 2010

Sunday September 5, 2010

The last several years have been extremely hard ones for Florida’s workers. The recession that started in 2007 has been one of the deepest in history, and Florida was both a leader of the recession and one of the hardest hit states due to the vulnerability of our economy to the housing market crash

The State of Working Florida 2009

Monday September 7, 2009

This report presents annual data on the Florida labor force and comparisons with the U.S

The State of Working Florida 2008

September 1, 2008

Report on the State of Working Florida 2008

The State of Working Florida 2007

Saturday September 1, 2007

RISEP's annual Labor Day report

The State of Working Florida 2006

Friday September 1, 2006

This report finds that, despite Florida’s booming economy since 2002, its workers have not been sharing in the prosperity.

The State of Working Florida 2005

Thursday September 1, 2005

On Labor Day 2005, the Florida economy shows many signs of excellent health.