Labor market will tighten

If you're having trouble finding qualified people to hire today, a recent Manpower survey suggests it's not going to get any easier.

The staffing firm surveyed executives in the Fort Myers and Tampa areas to ask them what their hiring plans are for the fourth quarter. In both areas, more than 20% of employers say they plan to hire more people later this year.

In the Fort Myers area, 26% of employers say they plan to hire more staff in the fourth quarter. Areas of strong employment gains will be in construction, manufacturing, transportation, retail trade, financial services, education, health care and government.

In the Tampa Bay area, 22% of companies say they plan to hire more people in the fourth quarter. Not surprisingly, many of the same sectors as in Fort Myers will see employment gains, including construction and manufacturing.

Labor costs already are impacting the construction industry, for some skilled trades are short-handed. The Manpower survey suggests that is likely to spread to other areas such as health care and education as the labor pool continues to shrink and employers compete for talent.