TAMPA, Fla. -- As families continue to rebound from the pandemic, people are starting to return to work in Hillsborough County, according to a recent report from CareerSource Tampa Bay.
In a report from CareerSource Tampa Bay to Hillsborough County commissioners in early December, local leaders learned that more than 100,000 people were out of work in Hillsborough County because of the pandemic.
But now, there has been a huge drop in people who are filing for benefits.
In July, unemployment numbers were around 10 percent. But in the latest numbers from the state, CareerSource Tampa Bay said in September, unemployment in Hillsborough County was down to about six percent.
Now, there are around 45,000 people in Hillsborough County who are using unemployment benefits.
The report also shows that people making less than 40,000 per year were the ones most often dealing with pandemic job losses. It goes on to say that the industries hit the hardest here in the Tampa Bay area were hospitality, tourism and retail.
However, CareerSource has found that there are still many industries hiring locally.
CareerSource has posted a2020-2021 Regional Demand Occupation List for Workforce Development Area 15, which is in Hillsborough County.
It shows the latest industries and specific positions that need workers now. A few industries are showing annual opens with more than a thousand positions locally, including:
- Customer Service Representatives (4,500+ needed)
- Medical Secretaries (3,200 needed)
- First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers (2,050 needed)
- Restaurant Cooks (1,009 needed)
- Sheet Metal Workers (1,110 needed)
- Security Guards (1,195 needed)
CareerSource Tampa Bay is also offering virtual and in-person Employability Skills Training Sessions nearly every day in the month of December.
Get registered for job training through CareerSource Tampa
Check out the calendar of events
Participating in a Virtual CSTB Workshop will count for 5 job searches for any job seekers on unemployment.
You can claim one workshop per week in lieu of the 5 job searches. The date of the workshop attended must be within the week you are claiming, according to CareerSource Tampa Bay.