Fastest and Slowest Growth Industries

Chart 3-5: Industry Employment Growth

Southwest Florida 2015 to 2019

Construction Health Care and Social Assistance Accommodation and Food Services Administrative and Waste Services Retail Trade Professional and Technical Services Manufacturing Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

Other Services, Except Public Administration Transportation and Warehousing Wholesale Trade Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation Educational Services Finance and Insurance Unclassified Utilities Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

Management of Companies and Enterprises Information

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting-3,485 -5,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000

-370 -581 3,653 2,902 2,831 2,220 2,135 2,058 1,672 1,590

578 525 480 294 49 19 7,483 7,265 14,910

Southwest Florida’s economic growth continued to strengthen from 2015 to 2019, as shown in Table 3-5 and Chart 3-5. During the time-period, the region has experienced an increase of 46,228 employees. The fastestgrowing industries from 2015 to 2019 were construction (14,910 employees, 37.9 percent increase), health care and social assistance (7,483 employees, 14.5 percent increase), accommodation and food services (7,265 employees, 12.6 percent increase), administrative and waste services (3,653 employees, 13.8 percent increase), and retail trade (2,902 employees, 4.1 percent increase). Over the same period, the slowest-growing industries were agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (3,485 employee decline, 29.2 percent decrease), information (581 employee decline, 11.6 percent decrease), management of companies and enterprises (370 employee decline, 10.6 percent decrease), mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (19 employee increase, 5.8 percent increase), and utilities (49 employee increase, 4.3 percent increase). In 2019, the construction industry continued to recover from the recession with both the accommodation and food services and retail trade growing immensely since 2011. The growth can be attributed to an increasing population in the region, along with increases in tourism as well. While most industries were shown to have

growth over this time period, information, management of companies and enterprises, and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting all experienced contractions from 2015 to 2019.

Table 3-5: Industry Employment Growth

Southwest Florida

Industry 2015 2019 Growth Percent

Construction Health Care and Social Assistance Accommodation and Food Services 39,301 54,211 14,910 37.9% 51,478 58,961 7,483 14.5%

57,714 64,979 7,265 12.6%

Administrative and Waste Services 26,459 30,112

Retail Trade Professional and Technical Services 70,607 73,509 19,827 22,658

Manufacturing Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

10,080 12,300 10,806 12,941 Other Services, Except Public Administration 15,476 17,534 Transportation and Warehousing 6,417 8,089

Wholesale Trade 10,540 12,130 3,653 2,902 2,831 2,220 2,135 2,058 1,672 1,590 13.8% 4.1% 14.3% 22.0% 19.8% 13.3% 26.1% 15.1%

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 16,095 16,673 Educational Services 4,496 5,021 578 525 3.6% 11.7%

Finance and Insurance Unclassified 10,859 11,339 70 364 480 294

4.4% 420.0%

Utilities

1,137 Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 325 Management of Companies and Enterprises 3,496 Information 5,005

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 11,938 1,186 344 3,126 4,424 8,453 49 19 -370 -581

4.3% 5.8% -10.6% -11.6% -3,485 -29.2%

Total, All Industries 372,126 418,354 46,228 12.4%

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics