Tampa is the population center of an eight-county region with a labor force of 1.97 million. And we’re growing every day – by nearly 150 people, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Residents are fleeing major metro areas like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles for Sun Belt cities like Tampa, and they’re bringing their talents and expertise with them.

Fast facts:

• Nearly 80 local colleges and higher education institutions are preparing graduates with the skills our local job market demands
• 75% of the graduates at local post-secondary institutions end up staying in Florida – a majority within the Tampa Bay region.
• #1 Best state for higher education – U.S. News & World Report, 2019
• Hillsborough County ranks #4 by employment growth – U.S. Census
• 250,000 veterans in the local active labor force, offering employees a pool of uniquely trained personnel
• Florida among top 5 states dominating tech employment – CompTIA, 2019
• Tampa beats Orlando, Miami in best places for business school grads, study says – Business.org and Move.org, 2018
• With a median age of 38, we are young, talented, and educated
• Millennials are the second largest labor base in Florida

“We were looking for an exceptional pool of talent, a meaningful cultural fit and a global outlook that will work well with our business needs — Tampa ticked all those boxes. Talent is the biggest asset to any global professional services firm and we intend our Tampa Center to be a great place to work for the best and brightest in the area.”

– Jamie Lawless, Executive Director of global law firm Baker McKenzie’s Tampa center

MAKE IT TAMPA BAY

Attracting and retaining top talent is a key priority for the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, which is why we partnered with Hillsborough County and Visit Tampa Bay to launch the Make It Tampa Bay talent attraction campaign in 2017. Each year, the campaign continues to expand and evolve, becoming a valuable talent recruitment and retention tool for local companies, colleges and universities.