The story in brief
Florida Politics reports that a national skilled-trades study ranked Florida first in demand pressure and 50th in worker supply among states and the District of Columbia. The report measures workforce trends and training pipelines, not current vacancies. It says more than one million Floridians work in the trades it covers, while apprenticeship and college trade-program completion rates were 38% and 53%. The findings point to a gap between employer demand and training outcomes, with transportation, childcare and lost earnings cited as barriers to completion.