301 E. Pine Street, Suite 900 // Orlando, FL 32801 // P/ 407.422.7159 // orlandoedc.com
Commission (EDC). Comprised of local industry leaders, the Forum meets quarterly to discuss both current economic conditions and issues of regional significance in the four-county Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Orlando Insight reflects those discussions and draws from the most recent data available at time of preparation.
Understanding Orlando’s Tech Economy
Technology has long been a crucial part of Orlando’s overall economic development strategy. The region’s tech economy actually predates the tourism industry when Lockheed Martin and other major defense contractors established a presence in the region to support the space race in the mid-1950s. Over the years as technology evolved, the sector grew to include many different industries. This has made it difficult to properly quantify the size and reach of the entire breadth of the tech sector.
The EDC recently documented a regional economic contribution of $22 billion but questions remain regarding the sector’s overall reach and influence.
A New Approach
Any analysis of Orlando’s tech economy requires a full accounting of the area’s tech ecosystem.
Traditionally, data has been generated based on a determination of those industries whose output may be considered ‘tech’ in nature. However, an industry-focused definition fails to capture the cross-cutting economic contributions of a functional role whose success permits the broad growth of many industries. Tech is no longer the product of a few select industries but a skill-set woven throughout the economy and embedded in tech and non-tech companies alike.
Total employment in the Orlando economy is thus not limited to tech firms. Rather, it is spread across three domains: tech jobs in tech industries, non-tech jobs in tech industries and tech jobs in non-tech industries. A web developer in a large
corporate environment is no less tech-oriented than a web developer in a digital media startup.
Approximately 80,000 jobs in Orlando, or seven percent of the 1.2 million people working within the region, are enabled by, produce, or facilitate technology. That number includes 34,000 jobs outside of traditional ‘tech’ industries and exceeds total employment at the United States’ largest single-site employer, Walt Disney World Resort. If taking a less conservative approach, including more occupations would likely see the number swell closer to 100,000.
“We are living in a technology-driven world that continues to shift, evolve, and innovate at a rapid pace. Orlando is now part of this global conversation as our technical environment and start-up culture continues to expand and grow – moving from an awkward adolescence to a key contributor in the shift to a knowledge economy.”
–– Daryl Holt
Vice President and Group COO Electronic Arts (EA Studios) 19,000 (24%) 27,000 (34%) 34,000 (42%) Tech Jobs in Tech Industries Example: Programmer at EA Non-Tech Jobs in Tech Industries Example: Sales Rep
at Lockheed Martin ORLANDO TECH ECONOMY
80,000 JOBS
Tech Jobs in Non-Tech Industries Example: Web Developer at SunTrust
“Orlando’s innovation economy is alive and well. Through visionary leadership and community collaborators, Central Florida has created a dynamic environment for innovation which drives opportunities throughout our region for small businesses and entrepreneurs alike.”
Expect the 80,000 to also grow. Over the last decade, employment in the Orlando tech economy expanded by almost 10,000 jobs, growing at a faster rate (13 percent) than both total Orlando (12 percent) and total U.S. employment (5 percent). Those statistics gloss over a recession whose impact on tech workers was relatively minimal and a subsequent recovery in which the tech economy’s acceleration has outperformed almost all others. Expansion of the region’s tech employment aligns perfectly with Orlando’s high-skill / high-wage strategy. Nearly three-quarters of local tech jobs are in high-wage sectors. That includes 28,000 in the business services sector (15 percent of all employment, $62,053 average annual wage) and 10,000 in manufacturing (25 percent of all employment, $58,247 average annual wage).
Generating Opportunity For All
The financial rewards of working in Orlando’s tech economy are significant. Workers across the three components of the Orlando tech economy earn on average 57 percent more than the average region-wide annual wage. Tech workers in tech firms earn 86 percent more, tech workers in non-tech firms earn 62 percent more, and non-tech workers in tech firms earn 31 percent more.
Many of these are educated workers. Yet the tech economy brings just as much opportunity to those less educated. More than half of all jobs in the tech economy do not currently require a bachelor’s degree.
The wage difference holds for those with lesser education, only at a reduced rate. Jobs in the Orlando tech economy that do not require bachelor’s degrees pay 37 percent more in wages than jobs with the same educational requirements in other industries.
A Mandate For Action
In both reach and opportunity, few areas so clearly demonstrate the potential to generate regional prosperity as the tech economy. Still, cities and regions across the country can do more to grow and nurture their tech ecosystems by investing in infrastructure that enables innovation, aligning education and industries to build a sustainable talent pipeline and merchandise existing assets and strengths into a compelling proposition for both companies and workers.
Orlando’s tech evolution in recent years is clear. A legitimate tech startup culture has been fueled by groups such as the Orlando Tech Association, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and IQ Orlando, and showcased by events like the Orlando Tech Meetup (the Southeast’s largest startup and tech monthly meetup) and Orlando iX. An unrivalled entrepreneurial support network has also formed around programs at the National Entrepreneur Center, University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program and Rollins College Center for Advanced
Entrepreneurship, and enabled by new co-working spaces in our downtown core.
Continued appropriate policy and actions at the local level will yield immense rewards.
“The Orlando tech community continues to grow and become more organized and sophisticated. We are starting to consistently see locally-grown serial entrepreneurs that have started and exited multiple companies taking high-profile roles in helping other entrepreneurs achieve similar successes. This is a critical ingredient in helping Orlando’s technology sectors attract the outside capital and partnerships to be internationally competitive.” Source: EMSI; Orlando EDC Analysis
–– Scott Faris
CEO AeroSonix, LLC
–– Jerry Ross
President National Entrepreneur Center
“The increasing density of life-science talent in Central Florida is attracting industry investment in R&D collaborations. Sanford Burnham Prebys is building deal flow by active outreach to pharmaceutical companies and life sciences investors. It is this regional collaboration that will ultimately build a Central Florida biopharma cluster.”
–– Leslie Molony, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Business Development Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
$75,285 $53,042 $65,581 $63,649 $0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000
Tech Jobs in Tech Industries Non-Tech Jobs in Tech
Industries Tech Jobs in Non-TechIndustries Orlando Tech Economy
Average Annual Wage Regional Average = $40,580
Around the Region
Osceola County: In September, Harris Corporation
signed on as the first official industry member of the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR). ICAMR will develop innovative manufacturing processes, materials and equipment for advanced sensors and other future high-tech products.
Orange County: Orlando’s inaugural tech convention, OrlandoiX, was held at the Orange County Convention Center October 2 through October 6, bringing together creative technologists, gamers, entrepreneurs and multinational corporations.
City of Orlando: PlanSource, a software company headquartered in downtown Orlando, announced in August that it received a $70 million investment from Great Hill Partners. The company plans on adding 150 jobs in the next year, many of them in Orlando.
Seminole County: In late July, the Orlando Sentinel
reported that Seminole County Public Schools rank first in Florida at enrolling high school students in upper-level math and science classes and preparing them for degrees in STEM fields.
Lake County: In October, Lake Tech announced a new Computer Systems and Information
Technology program to teach students to investigate and eliminate security threats to networks,
hardware, software and email. The program is designed to make sure the workforce is available to meet future cybersecurity and tech companies’ needs.
Labor Market
Labor Force
1,231,667 Unemployment Rate4.8% Initial Claims2,627 New Job Postings27,266
Arrows indicate change from previous year. Data for September 2015 unless otherwise specified. • Unemployment closed the third quarter of 2015 at 4.8 percent,
a decrease of one full percentage point from one year earlier and marginally lower than the national rate of 4.9 percent. Of the four counties in the region, Lake County has seen the greatest decline over the period.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Source: The Conference Board, Help Wanted OnLine; prepared by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
• Area companies with the most new online job postings for STEM occupations reflect both the emergence of Orlando’s tech economy and the region’s longtime economic structure. Newcomer Deloitte Consulting is joined by companies in the area’s dominant healthcare and tourism industries.
• The upward wage pressure seen earlier in the recovery has largely abated, despite continued reduction in the unemployed. Average weekly earnings of $806 in September 2015 were nominally smaller than in September 2014.
5.1% 4.7% 5.5% 4.6% 6.3% 5.7% 6.6% 5.5% 2% 4% 6% 8% Lake Orange Osceola Seminole
Orlando MSA County Unemployment Rates September 2015, Not Seasonally Adjusted
Sep-15 Sep-14 ORLANDO MSA: 4.8%
“The EDC’s project pipeline has swelled over the last few months. That’s partly the result of an improving economy but also an endorsement of the region’s growing talent base and branding efforts.”
–– Dave Porter, CEcD
Senior Vice President, Business Development Orlando Economic Development Commission $700 $750 $800 $850 2 4 6 8 10 12 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Unemployment Rate vs. Average Weekly Earnings, Orlando MSA Through September 2015
Unemployment Rate (%, left axis)
Average Weekly Earnings ($, right axis, 3-MMA)
Company Number
Florida Hospital 512
The Walt Disney Company 247
Nemours 186
Oracle 183
Deloitte 139
HCA – The Healthcare Company 134
NBC Universal 121
Lockheed Martin 114
Top Employers by Online STEM Job Ads, Orlando MSA
Payroll Employment / Consumer Spending
Total Payroll Employment 1,155,600 Business Services Employment 189,700 Construction Employment 59,800 Manufacturing Employment 40,000 Taxable Sales $5.2 billion (July 2015) Index of Retail Activity 175.5 (July 2015) • Despite a seasonal contraction in September, Orlando hasadded a net gain of 41,400 payroll jobs from September 2014 to September 2015.
Arrows indicate change from previous year. Data for September 2015 unless otherwise specified.
Source: Florida Legislature, Office of Economic & Demographic Research
• Current year-over-year employment growth of 3.7 percent exceeds all other large regions in the state. Among neighboring regions, only the much smaller Lakeland MSA (at 3.9 percent) posted a higher growth rate in September.
Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
2.2% 2.0% 3.9% 2.1% 2.6% 2.9% 2.0% 3.7% 2.3% 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville Lakeland-Winter Haven
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach Jacksonville Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Florida Employment Growth by MSA/MD
September 2014 to September 2015, Not Seasonally Adjusted
More Total Employment Less STATEWIDE: 3.0% 9.5% 14.0% 8.3% 9.4% 9.9% 17.3% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% Building Investment Consumer Durables Business Investment Autos & Accessories Consumer Non-Durables
Tourism & Recreation
Taxable Sales by Major Category, Orlando MSA
July 2014 to July 2015, Percentage Change
More
Total Value
Less
TOTAL: 12.6%
• Orlando’s year-over-year taxable sales growth of 12.6 percent is higher than the corresponding statewide rate of 10.7 percent. Spending on recreational/tourism-related goods and also in the more ‘big-ticket’ consumer durables category continue to outperform the market.
• Gains are almost exclusively being driven by the private sector. Robust year-over-year growth of 4.0 percent among private employers in September far surpasses the lackluster 1.4 percent recorded in the public sector.
Commercial / Residential Real Estate
Office Vacancy 16.0% (Q3 2015) Office Asking Rate $20.20 (Q3 2015) Industrial Vacancy 9.2% (Q3 2015) Industrial Asking Rate $5.47 (Q3 2015) Existing Home Sales 2,857 Median Home Price $182,000Arrows indicate change from previous year. Data for September 2015 unless otherwise specified. • Year-to-date net absorption of 1.1 million square feet in the office
market is in stark contrast to the negative 86,000 square feet documented in the corresponding period of 2014. Absorption has been dispersed evenly across Class A, B and C product; the largest lease of the third quarter was Oracle’s 72,000-square-foot deal in the Citadel II building in the South Orlando submarket. Source: CBRE 140,183 185,553 114,585 170,192 31,633 439,955 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 Downtown / Central Business Distrct
East Orlando Lake Mary Maitland Center North Orlando South Orlando
2015 YTD Net Absorption, Orlando Office Market
Third Quarter 2015
TOTAL: 1,082,101 SF
• In the industrial market, 87 percent of year-to-date net absorption has occurred in the SE Orange County submarket. Much of that came in the first quarter as Publix took occupancy of a one million-square-foot distribution center; however, a series of smaller deals in the last two quarters have contributed an additional 800,000 square feet.
2,226,373 69,370 31,704 193,502 46,035 365 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000
SE Orange SW Orange NW Orange Seminole Osceola NE Orange
2015 YTD Net Absorption, Orlando Industrial Market
Third Quarter 2015
TOTAL: 2,567,349 SF
Source: CBRE
• As distressed properties dissipate, housing affordability in the region has largely stabilized over the last few months at an index of 175, a level higher than the 80 seen at the height of the housing boom, but far short of the 240 peak recorded in the depths of the recession. An index of 175 signifies that a family earning the median family income has 175 percent of the income necessary to qualify for a conventional loan of a median-priced home, assuming a 20 percent down payment.
Source: National Association of Realtors
50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Housing Affordability Index, Orlando MSA
Through Third Quarter 2015
“Employment in Orlando continues to grow in step with the number of new projects coming to market. Commercial retail is strong with key destinations like International Drive seeing new mixed-use projects. Multi-family housing development is maintaining momentum in the downtown Orlando area. The hospitality industry continues to see an uptick in hotel development to cater to the booming tourist market, while we also see plans for new hotels in some of the larger master-planned communities. Industrial continues to improve with fewer approved industrial sites and locations available for acquisition.”
–– Cecelia Bonifay, Esq.
Chair, Land Use & Sustainable Development Practice Akerman LLP
Transportation / Visitor Industry
Orlando International Passengers 3,211,431 (August 2015) Orlando Sanford International Passengers 140,506 Hotel Occupancy 62.8% Average Daily Rate $92.59 • On a 12-month-moving average basis, monthly attendance atOrange County Convention Center is nearing its pre-recession high of 123,000. Through September, a total of 137 events have been held in 2015.
Arrows indicate change from previous year. Data for September 2015 unless otherwise specified.
Source: Orange County Convention Center
Source: Visit Orlando
50,000 75,000 100,000 125,000 150,000 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Orange County Convention Center
Monthly Attendance, 12-Month Moving Average
$76.02 $84.91 $101.12 $62.77 $54.29 $93.42 $99.98 7.6% 9.5% 1.6% -20.5% 5.6% 2.9% 3.1% -25% -20% -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% 15% $30 $40 $50 $60 $70 $80 $90 $100 $110 $120 $130
Orlando North Orlando
Central InternationalDrive KissimmeeEast KissimmeeWest Orlando South Lake BuenaVisita
Average Daily Rate by Submarket, Orlando MSA
September 2015
Average Daily Rate (left axis) Y/Y % Change (right axis)
TOTAL MARKET: $92.59 (+1.3%) • All but one of the area’s hotel
submarkets (Kissimmee East) is experiencing healthy year-over-year growth in average daily rate (ADR). The core International Drive and Lake Buena Vista markets remain the most costly at $101.12 and $99.98, respectively. • Almost 3.9 million multi-day cruise passengers passed through Port Canaveral in Fiscal Year 2015, a nominal contraction from Fiscal Year 2014 but still the second highest total on record. Multi-day cruise passenger data captures embarkations and debarkations at the beginning and end of voyages, as well as during visiting ships’ ports of call.
2.8 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.1 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.9 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015
Millions Total Multiday Cruise Passengers – Port CanaveralThrough FY 2015
301 E. Pine Street, Suite 900 // Orlando, FL 32801 // P/ 407.422.7159 // orlandoedc.com
ABOUT THE EDC
The Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership that works to aggressively attract, retain and grow jobs for the Orlando region while advocating, championing and educating in support of efforts to improve competitive position. The EDC serves Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties and the City of Orlando in Florida.
For more information, contact:
NEIL HAMILTON
Director, Business Intelligence
neil.hamilton@orlandoedc.com
ELIZABETH RAMIREZ
Associate Director, Business Intelligence
elizabeth.ramirez@orlandoedc.com
Kimberly Maki
Bright House Networks
Leslie Molony, Ph.D.
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Bill Moss
CBRE
Co-Chair, EDC Business Development Committee
Pamela Nabors
CareerSource Central Florida
Bob Provitola
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc.
Chair, Manufacturers Association of Central Florida
Jon Rambeau
Lockheed Martin Training and Logistics Solutions (TLS)
Jerry Ross
National Entrepreneur Center
Thomas K. Sittema
CNL Financial Group
Past Chair, Orlando EDC
Jacob Stuart
Central Florida Partnership
Rasesh Thakkar Tavistock Group Rick Weddle Orlando EDC Vickie White Florida Hospital
CHAIR
Sean Snaith, Ph.D.University of Central Florida
MEMBERS
Thomas Baptiste, Lt. Gen., USAF (Ret.)
National Center for Simulation
Cecelia Bonifay
Akerman, LLP
Chair, EDC Economic Strategy Committee
Phillip Brown
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Bill Martin
Greater Osceola Partnership for Economic Prosperity
Chair, Regional Economic Developers (RED) Team
Orlando Evora Greenberg Traurig, LLP Scott Faris AeroSonix, Inc. David Fuller SunTrust Foundation
Chair, Orlando EDC
Larry Henrichs
Visit Orlando
Daryl Holt
Electronic Arts (EA Studios)
Steven Jamieson
The Mall at Millenia
Tony Jenkins