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Business Trends for 2021

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2021 has come with significant challenges for the business world! The pandemic has changed many areas where we used to be complacent, and now we have to look into change to thrive.

The article “The 10 Biggest Business Trends for 2021 Everyone Must Be Ready For” by Bernard Marr, Enterprise Tech, highlights the top 10 business trends we can certainly agree with.

Working from home

The year 2020 pushed Southwest Florida into a “working from home” trend, something we didn’t think we were ready for. Still, businesses had to quickly adapt to it to continue services remotely and provide the necessary IT equipment and accessibility for the workforce to function effectively.

Secure and accessible data

Businesses transformed quickly in giving access to their workforce a shared network, data and making it secure. We did see some data breaches in Southwest Florida, but overall, data security and accessibility have become a priority and significant focus in doing business today.

The ever-changing business model

Along with adapting to new remote work and technology, businesses faced an ever-changing business model between remote/virtual services and in-person appointments with strict CDC guidelines protocol of disinfecting every area after an in-person meeting, mask requirements, social distancing, and temperature checking.

Virtual interfaces a must

A change in the structure of hiring events from in-person to virtual hiring events was a must! Virtual hiring events platforms became necessary including training employers and job seekers, significant technical support required, and a massive virtual campaign to follow for success.

Jobs change to purposeful and meaningful.

We have seen quite a change in the younger generations’ mentality of what today’s jobs must be about, giving them purpose and meaning and not just a paycheck any longer. This trend continued in 2021 and will increasingly become a priority for businesses to provide job seekers to attract them and fill their positions.

Take a closer look at this great article by Bernard Marr, Enterprise Tech, about how these prominent trends will continue into years to come!

Advice on Avoiding Interviewer Bias

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It can be a daunting experience to remain unbiased while interviewing candidates for a position within your company. Many recruiters have predisposed ideas of what the candidate should look like or possess to do the job correctly and fit within its culture.

Maintaining a level of fairness in finding the right candidate can cause us to choose a candidate who made the best first impression. Still, after 90 days in the job, he or she failed to meet the job’s responsibilities successfully.

The following article may shed light on the best practices for reducing the bias in which we possess. LinkedIn Talent Blog by Lou Adler, 10 Ways to Reduce Interviewer Bias, this article sheds light on ten areas we should consider as a plan of action before starting the interviewing process.

One of the ten pieces of advice includes: use panel interviews, be a juror not a judge, treat candidates as consultants, and more.

We hope this article helps your business in creating a strategic plan for your interview process. Hence “you’re not only seeing the strongest and most diverse talent possible but also ensuring each person is objectively assessed,” said Adler, LinkedIn Talent Blog.

SWFL’s Economic Development

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The Southwest Florida region consists of 5 counties: Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties.

Even though these counties are part of the entire Southwest Florida region, each one is quite distinctive in its own economic development.

We had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing each County’s Economic Development Leaders about the following questions:

  • What are your county’s best assets for business attraction and expansion?
  • What are your county’s best assets for workforce attraction?
  • What are your targeted sectors or industries?
  • what does your strategic plan consist of?
  • What will your county look like in five years?

And here is what individual Economic Development Office had to say about their respective county:

Charlotte County Economic Development Office Video

Collier County Economic Development Office Video

Glades County Economic Development Office Video

Hendry County Economic Development Office Video

Lee County Economic Development Office Video

We hope you enjoyed listening to each county’s Economic Development Managers about the future of our SWFL’s region!

Skills Gap and Talent Vacancy Reports

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Every business needs information that will help them grow or improve their business processes.

We bring you reports and surveys that may help with determining the types of skills gaps within our workforce and what talent needs our business currently have.

CareerSource Florida commissioned the following research to drive data-informed decisions to help shape future education and workforce development strategies and investment.

We hope you find this data helpful to meet your business needs.

Is your business ready for an emergency?

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The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced the launch of a new website, FloridaDisaster.biz. 

This site was created to help Florida businesses prepare for and recover from hurricanes and other disasters.  By providing critical information before, during and after a disaster, the website will help businesses recover and get Floridians back to work following emergencies.

Features of the new website include:

  • A disaster planning toolkit to help businesses prepare for hurricanes and other disasters;
  • Critical disaster updates from the State Emergency Operations Center to keep businesses informed during emergencies; and
  • A Business Damage Assessment Survey to help businesses get back up and running after an emergency.

FloridaDisaster.biz is a partnership between DEO and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.  Other partners include the U.S. Department of Commerce, Florida State University’s Center for Disaster Risk Policy, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, the Florida Retail Federation, Visit Florida, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network and others.  DEO is the lead agency for the support of business, industry and economic stabilization during a statewide disaster.

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