For more information about talent attraction, or to share your personal story, please contact:

Laura Fontanills
Marketing & Communications Director

(813) 518-2648
LFONTANILLS@tampabayedc.com

TALENT

Access to talent consistently ranks at the top for why companies choose to relocate or expand to Tampa. That availability of talent, coupled with the ease of recruiting top talent to Tampa is why local companies continue to grow once they’re established here.

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 134 people, according to the latest U.S. Census data. 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.
  • Tampa ranked #7 fastest growing U.S. tech hub for IT talent  – CIO, 2022
  • Tampa home to #5 best school (University of South Florida) in the South – WalletHub, 2021
  • #1 Best state for higher education – U.S. News & World Report, 2021
  • #6 in U.S. (#1 in Florida) for tech worker relocations – LinkedIn, 2021
  • Florida ranks among top 10 states for IT job postings – CompTIA, 2021
  • Tampa Bay among top metros for job growth in tech industry – CompTIA, 2021
  • Hillsborough County ranks #4 by employment growth – U.S. Census
  • More than 100,000 veterans live and work in the Tampa Bay market, offering employees a pool of uniquely trained personnel
  • With a median age of 38, we are young, talented, and educated
  • Millennials are the second largest labor base in Florida

I love how diverse the community is and I feel like Tampa Bay is only going to grow and attract more talent. I don’t think I will have any problems recruiting leading physicians, scientists, and bio tech industry to this area. I look forward to working with the EDC on this.

Patrick Hwu, President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer 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.

Tampa ranks #5 college city in the nation

WALLETHUB, 2022

Make it Tampa Bay

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