TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ~ For the second year in a row, Lightcast has named Florida the number one state for talent attraction in its 2023 Talent Attraction Scorecard. The scorecard evaluates states based on job growth, education attainment, regional competitiveness and migration data.

Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his pride in the achievement, saying "It is no surprise that Lightcast has named Florida the number one state for talent attraction for two consecutive years. Florida's record investments in workforce education, including expanding apprenticeship and on the job training programs in high demand professions, have elevated business and industry through strong workforce development."

The scorecard ranked Florida #2 for migration, #2 for competitive effect, #4 for skilled job growth and #5 for overall job growth. Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly commented on the success of Governor DeSantis' strategies to meet job seekers and job creators where they are: "Florida is continuing to demonstrate that our strategic approach towards workforce education and talent retention is working." Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. also praised Governor DeSantis' commitment to growing Florida's workforce education programs as a major factor in this achievement.

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Additionally, Florida ranked #14 for education attainment which is a significant leap forward since the beginning of this administration. CareerSource Florida President and CEO Adrienne Johnston noted that "In Florida, we are training our workforce in areas where businesses need to grow, creating forward momentum for key industries to grow for future generations of Floridians."

Florida continues to outpace states like New York and California which are losing hundreds of thousands of residents who are in search of better jobs, lower crime, lower taxes and a higher quality of life. New York ranked #50 for Talent Attraction overall while California ranked #49 overall with rankings as low as #50 for migration and education attainment respectively.

The scorecard also included rankings for the top scoring large counties in the country with three spots held by Florida counties: Hillsborough County (#7 overall), Lee County (#8 overall) and Polk County (#9 overall).

Governor DeSantis has prioritized investments in workforce education, business development and strong infrastructure since taking office which have helped establish a strong skilled workforce pipeline and have continued to attract new businesses to the state with 2.7 million new businesses formed since 2019. His Focus on Florida's Future Budget proposal recommends more than $853 million for workforce education programs and $125 million for the Job Growth Grant Fund and Rural Infrastructure Fund which will further strengthen these efforts going forward.

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