Strong hiring season coming up

Surveys of executives continue to show that hiring will continue to be strong into the New Year.

The latest survey from Manpower, for example, says the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area has the third-best employment outlook in the nation.

A survey of employers in the Fort Myers area by the employment firm says 23% of them will be hiring in the first quarter of 2014 while just 3% will be reducing staff. Most employers plan to maintain current workforce levels.

The results of the Manpower survey are similar in the Tampa Bay region, where 21% plan to hire in the first quarter while 6% will reduce staff.

Retail, manufacturing, construction and hospitality are among the industries that plan to add staff in the first quarter.

One note of caution: Hiring on the Gulf Coast is always stronger in the first quarter as companies staff up for the influx of tourists and seasonal residents at this time of year. It's not clear how many of those hires in the first quarter will remain employed throughout the rest of the year.