Hiring remains bright

The employment outlook for the Gulf Coast and the state remains bright despite concerns about the slowing global economy, according to a survey of second-quarter hiring by labor firm Manpower.

The employment outlook is the best in the Lakeland-Winter Haven area, with 27% of employers planning to hire more people from April through June. (Data for the Sarasota-Bradenton and Naples-Marco Island areas were not available.)

On a statewide basis, hiring plans are uniformly positive across all 13 industry sectors that Manpower tracks. That includes construction, manufacturing, retail trade, professional services, health care, leisure and government.

Although positive, the state's second-quarter employment outlook is down slightly from the same period in 2015. Florida's net employment outlook, derived by subtracting the percentage of employers expecting a decrease in hiring from those anticipating an increase, fell four percentage points, to 18%, from one year ago.