Highest-Growth Industries in Florida Are Least Likely To Offer Employee Health Insurance, Report Says

Florida "leads the nation" in the creation of new jobs, but the industries that are coming to the state are those that are least likely to offer health insurance to workers, according to a report released on Monday by Florida International University's Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy, the St. Petersburg Times reports. According to the report, the four industries that offer the fewest health care benefits are the same industries that are hiring the most Florida workers. Those industries are construction, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and wholesale and retail trade. The report also finds that nearly 42% of construction workers in the state -- more than 300,000 individuals -- are uninsured, compared with 35% of leisure and hospitality workers, 27% of professional and business services workers, and 23% of wholesale and retail trade workers. Overall, 18.5% of the three million people in Florida are uninsured. The groups that are most likely to be uninsured include state residents ages 16 to 24 at 34.7%, Latinos at 31.3%, and low-wage workers at 38.7%, according to the report. The study also finds that 400,000 state residents who work in firms with more than 1,000 employees do not have health benefits. Report co-author Bruce Nissen, director of RISEP, said, "I was surprised that construction was the worst in terms of health care coverage." He attributed the lack of health insurance in the construction industry in part to the absence of labor unions and a high number of independent contractors who do not provide health insurance (Hundley, St. Petersburg Times, 5/12).

The report is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the report.