The State of Construction and Welding in Florida

Those who are looking for good pay and a job in the welding and construction industries will find that the Sunshine State is a great place to look to make a living. According to the South Florida Business Journal, construction jobs in Southern Florida alone are up by well over 50%. The residential construction job sector has seen the highest growth levels; however, other construction job options that are prolific in this state include commercial real estate construction, constructing educational facilities, and government construction projects. Those with proper welding training could have their pick of opportunities in Florida.

What are the Best Places in Florida to Find Work?

While Florida has created nearly 35,000 new construction jobs from December 2013 to December 2014, there are certain areas of this state that are creating more new construction jobs than others. Those who are looking for numerous welding job opportunities will find that the counties with the highest employment levels currently are Orlando, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Jacksonville, and Palm Beach County.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics ¹ notes that the mean annual wage for construction workers in Jacksonville and Palm Beach County is higher than the national average. In fact, these counties (along with Northeast Florida Non-Metropolitan Area) offer the highest mean annual wages in the state of Florida, while other counties in the state pay less, including Miami-Dade County and Orlando-Kissimmee area. Additionally, Jacksonville is home to one of Tulsa Welding School’s training campuses, so it might be possible to receive welding training in the same place that you then look for work.

Getting to Know Specific Job Opportunities

As noted above, Florida is currently experiencing a construction boom in numerous sectors. Following is a sample of companies that seem to be hiring skilled trades workers in Florida:
Disney is currently reconstructing various areas of its Florida theme park. It has filed a notice of commencement for construction work on the Power and Light Arcade building but has not provided details as to what the new building will look like or how it will be used. The old Adventureland Verandah restaurant is also being remodeled and will continue to be used as a restaurant.

However, Disney is by no means the only entertainment giant interested in improving its highly popular theme park. Universal Orlando is making plans to build a restaurant next to its theme park, and Busch Gardens in Tampa is adding a new attraction to its Egypt section.

Other more traditional construction projects include the construction of dorm rooms for Florida Polytechnic University, the building of a twelve story Hilton Hotel near the Palm Beach County Center and the possible construction of an action sports entertainment center in Kissimmee.

It is not only private enterprises that are creating new construction jobs in Florida, either. The state government has recently approved construction on the I-4 Ultimate Project. This particular project, which is 21 miles in length and estimated to cost 2.3 billion dollars, involves reconfiguring fifteen main intersections, replacing nearly 150 bridges and adding tolled express lanes in each direction. Construction is expected to last until the year 2021 and is being done in cooperation with a private company.

The Road to Opportunity

As you can see, construction and welding jobs in Florida have much to offer. While the state (on average) does not pay a high mean annual wage to its workers, there is no shortage of job opportunities for skilled workers. What is more, there are job opportunities in various counties that pay over the national mean annual wage. If you are looking for employment security, challenging work opportunities, and relatively good pay, it could be a good idea to seriously consider studying construction and/or welding at a welding school. Schools such as TWS can provide students with the training and knowledge needed to obtain rewarding, profitable work in the welding and construction industries.