ORLANDO, Fla. — Economists are looking ahead to 2026, and there is hope for the holidays for Central Florida residents looking to get a job or make their next career move.
What You Need To Know
- Career experts think Central Florida will lead our state for job growth in 2026
- Technology, advanced manufacturing and aerospace are strong sectors
- CareerSource Central Florida is helping workers upskill for new careers
Economic forecasts for 2026 show Central Florida’s overall economy and job growth should see steady if not dramatic growth.
Jim Young is president and CEO of SawStreet in Orlando. His team of 31 employees manufactures semiconductors. They work in a clean room, grinding semiconductor wafers down to make them thinner, separating wafers into individual chips, and then shipping them to customers.
“In the last two months, we’ve hired seven people, which is pretty strong for a company of our size,” Young said.
Young adds revenue was strong this year, and he plans to hire at least eight more workers in 2026 as the company adds another clean room. He says the chip industry is becoming a Central Florida powerhouse, creating stable jobs for the future.
“You’re going to see continuous growth in semiconductors because there are semiconductors in practically everything we use nowadays,” Young said.
CareerSource Central Florida helps people find jobs and update their skills for new careers. Pam Nabors is president and CEO.
“We still have thousands of job openings for people who are looking for jobs, and I think we’re going to continue to see that growth. You know, we as a region tend to not only lead the state, but we still lead the country in job growth,” Nabors said.
Nabors adds several industries are poised for expansion.
Sectors like construction, healthcare, tourism & hospitality, technology, advanced manufacturing and aerospace jobs.
“Over into Brevard County in particular, we know we are all watching launches that are happening practically every day, so we know there are careers that are being spawned out of there,” Nabors said.
Nabors advises that workers should have different resumes tailored to specific jobs to get past artificial intelligence filters. She believes that no matter what industry you work in next year, you should learn how to use artificial intelligence at your job.
“It’s not as much an industry anymore as it is a foundational skill in almost every industry,” Nabors said.
Jim Young believes semiconductors are evolving in every aspect of his customers’ businesses and will continue to boost the tech sector.
“There’s a strong sense that we need more of that industry back here in the U.S. so for us personally, we see phenomenal growth and in Central Florida as well,” Young said.
Economists say these are reasons for optimism for our region and for job hunters in the new year.
Nabors added that the logistics industry for moving products is seeing some layoffs as automation moves into the sector, but CareerSource Central Florida is training workers to transition into other jobs.