Workforce Now

Southwest Florida Workforce Overview Study 2023

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This report is conducted annually by Workforce Now, a regional research initiative conducted by Southwest Florida’s leading research institutions. The lead researchers of Workforce Now are grateful to the many individuals whose help and input make their work possible.


Preliminary drafts of this document were created by the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University, which studies, analyzes, and reports on the regional economy encompassing Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties. Established in 2005, it serves as a public service and economic development unit of the Lutgert College of Business and strives to connect Southwest Florida to the resources of Florida Gulf Coast University.

Later drafts of this document were vetted and put into final format by researchers at Hodges University and Florida Southwestern State College, both of which maintain campuses in the five-county region, serving over 32,000 students and are active in workforce initiatives in Southwest Florida.

In 2020, the Workforce Now team collaborated with the FutureMakers Coalition in producing a more comprehensive report.  The FutureMakers Coalition is a collective impact initiative that is focused on bringing together stakeholders from throughout the Cradle-to-Career Pathway.  The result was the first edition of the Southwest Florida Educational and Workforce Outcomes Report, which provides not only the data from the Workforce Now team, but also findings from the Community Impact Evaluation report, produced annually by the FutureMakers Coalition Regional Action Teams.

For more information, please contact: 
Regional Economic Research Institute | Lutgert College of Business
Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd, S., Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565
(239) 590-1000 | http://www.fgcu.edu/cob/reri/