First Quarter 2014 Lee County Business Climate Survey

Presented by:Dr. Gary Jackson

Director, Regional Economic Research InstituteLutgert College of Business

Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFebruary 21, 2014

An Horizon Council/FGCU Partnership

www.fortmyersregionalpartnership.com

What are Your Investment Plans for Next Year?

M.I.37%

Fourth Quarter

S. I. 15%

No Ch. 46%

M. R.2%

S. R. 0%

Do you expect to increase the size of your workforce during the next year?

Of the Companies that Plan to Increase Workforce Size, What percentage increase is expected?

Preferred Employee Recruiting Method

What are the positions/occupations you will look to hire during the next year?

Sales and Account Representatives

CashiersCustomer ServiceEngineers FabricatorsGeneral Maintenance StaffNurse Practitioners and

Physician Assistants

Housekeepers IT/Application TechniciansMachinistsManagersReal Estate AgentsReporters Security OfficersConstruction TradesTruck Drivers

Employee Characteristics Desired by Employers

Good aptitude, attitude, and attendanceAttention to detailHonestDependableClean, smart, and motivatedTeam player Strong communication skills Self starterProblem solverDrug freeGood appearanceCustomer focused

Employee Skills Desired by EmployersAutoCADBasic office skillsMicrosoft certifiedBusiness and accounting skillsCommunication skillsComputer skillsConstruction skillsCritical thinkingGraphic designWealth managementEngineering Sales/leasingPeople skills Soft skillsWelding skills

Is your company having trouble finding qualified employees?

Positions that companies are having trouble filling

Assistant engineers Banking and commercial lending managers Cashiers and counter sales Design engineers, Drivers Computer network technicians Fabricators Housekeepers and service staff Insurance sales and support Machinists Managers Experienced nurse practitioners Sales Construction trades Water resource engineers Web development and application technicians

Questions?