Jacksonville an d NORTHEAST FLORIDA
A Sweet Spot
for Hiring Top Talent
Northeast Florida provides a younger demographic for prospective employers,
with training opportunities throughout the region.
Money magazine last year ranked
Jacksonville as the seventh best U.S.
city for job seekers, which is no surprise
to Candace Moody, vice president of
communications for CareerSource
Northeast Florida..
With a median age of 39, three years
younger than the rest of the state,
Northeast Florida provides a younger
demographic for prospective employers,
with training opportunities throughout
the region.
Besides the six colleges and universities
in the seven-country Northeast Florida
region, the area also draws graduates from
the University of Florida and Florida State
University.
Jacksonville offers a bigger and more
diverse business climate than those
students can find in Gainesville or
Tallahassee, so many of them gravitate
to the Northeast region as they enter the
workforce.
“Jacksonville’s a natural place for them
to come and start their careers,” Moody
says.
Of course, many new entrants into the
labor force find their way to Northeast
Florida for academic reasons before
starting their careers.
32 JACKSONVILLE AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA SPONSORED SECTION
Jacksonville University draws students from 51 countries.
Jacksonville University draws students
from all 50 states and 51 foreign countries,
and three-quarters of them stay in the region after
graduation.
The private university offers unique programs such
as marine science and aviation management, as well as a
strong business school.
Jacksonville’s state university, the University of
North Florida, was recognized last year by INSIGHT Into
Diversity magazine as one of 15 “diversity champions”
among national colleges and universities.
800,000+ 39 Median Age P eople
Education Level of Job Candidates
NE FLORIDA STATEWIDE
Bachelor’s Degree 19.2% 17.1%
Master’s Degree 7.2% 5.3%
Doctorate 1.2% 0.8%
Northeast Florida Labor Force
SCOTT COOK / JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY