“15 minutes is further than I am comfortable commuting. I would like to find a role closer to my home.” A candidate told us this recently. I would love to say this was a new response for us, but it’s not - not by a long shot. Increasing commute times in our Tampa Bay region [...]
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I forgive anyone for wanting to pull their hair out trying to make sense of the employment market, both nationally and here in Tampa Bay. The only thing consistent is the inconsistency. Friday’s national jobs report is the latest example. The economy added 162,000 jobs in August, while July’s initial loss of 23,000 jobs was [...]
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Most Tampa Bay businesses know hiring takes time, but very few calculate what that time is actually costing them. Every hour a leader spends reviewing resumes, screening candidates, and conducting interviews is an hour pulled away from running the business. The cost may never appear as a separate line item, but it's real. The real [...]
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We are officially at the halfway point of 2026, and I am already exhausted! Yet I constantly hear from business leaders who tell me that hiring should be easier because our regional unemployment has increased. Unfortunately, they are looking at the wrong number. Headline-driven executives assume high application volume makes for an easy hire. It [...]
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64% of remote/hybrid workers are saying they will walk away from their jobs if their employer pulls their hybrid/remote role and return them to the office full time (Founder Reports). Welcome to the 2026 version of the Return to the Office boxing match – Who’s going to win this battle in Tampa Bay? The Tale [...]
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When I was growing up in Michigan, a common phrase we would hear each spring was: “April showers bring May flowers”. But this year, in Florida, not only have we not had showers, our business climate has brought us something new that I call the “April Squeeze”. Between record gas spikes, increased financial liabilities, and [...]
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I usually take long walks on the weekends to de-stress and clear my head. On my last walk, I made yet another questionable life choice by listening to an economics podcast instead of music. (I know, I know... I’m fun at parties.) Instead of lowering my blood pressure, I spent 8 miles thinking about what [...]
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In early February, the BLS job numbers dropped and the glowing headlines hit the internet immediately. AP News reported: "Surge of 130,000 US hires last month is a stark contrast to the weak hiring of 2025." I took that data with a healthy dose of skepticism—especially after the consistent downward revisions we saw every month [...]
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I need to interview at least three people before I’ll make a decision.” When pressed on why, the response usually goes something like this: “I don’t want to make a mistake, and in this market, I have more options.” In the famous words of College Game Day’s Lee Corso: NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND! The [...]
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You’ve heard me say it many times: the candidate experience is the heartbeat of your hiring strategy. As 2026 kicks into high gear, I thought now would be a great time to share the successful hiring shifts I have seen in the Tampa Bay market in the last 6 months or so. The hiring managers [...]
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October 1, 2026
