ORLANDO, Fla. – The Central Florida Employment Council Career Fair, held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, drew hundreds of job seekers eager to explore new opportunities.

This, just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida’s labor force exceeded 11.1 million in January 2025, reinforcing the state’s economic strength. Job growth continued across most major industries, including manufacturing, which reached 430,800 jobs.

But among the job seekers at the fair was Josh Cothern, who is on the hunt for a marketing position. Despite the encouraging numbers, Cothern expressed the challenges he faces in securing employment.

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“It feels very saturated,” Cothern told New 6. “I’ve been all over LinkedIn and different job boards, and it seems like every time a new job gets posted, there’s 30, 40, 50 applications in the first 10 minutes.”

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The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offers a glimmer of hope for job seekers. Florida’s labor force has grown or remained stable over the last 10 out of 12 months. FloridaCommerce reported that the Orlando metro area gained the highest number of private sector jobs over the past year among all metro areas, with more than 393,000 jobs posted online.

In January, the Orlando metro area led the state in job gains, particularly in leisure and hospitality, which added 7,500 jobs; financial activities, which saw an increase of 3,000 jobs; and professional and business services, which grew by 2,400 jobs.

“Florida added 113,600 jobs (+1.3%) over the year in January 2025. Since May 2020, employers across the state have expanded their workforce in 54 of the past 57 months. Florida’s private sector job growth rate of 1.3% outpaced the national rate of 1.2% over the same period. Additionally, Florida’s statewide unemployment rate has remained below the national average for 51 consecutive months since November 2020,” according to DeSantis’ office.

CBS Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger commented on the current national job market trends.

“What we are seeing is some of the pillars of growth that had added jobs in the economy are slowing down,” Schlesinger said.

Despite stable numbers, the job search remains an anxious endeavor for many.

Cothern remains optimistic, saying “As soon as I am offered the right thing, I am excited to take it.”