{"schema_version": 1, "id": "miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 291, "label": "Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA", "slug": "miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:40:49.122633+00:00", "headline": "Miami-Dade and Broward diverge as Spirit Airlines fallout lingers.", "headline_summary": "Miami metro unemployment held at 3.7% against 4.1% nationally, but Miami-Dade's 9.8% finance wage growth stands in sharp contrast to Broward's 1.7% finance job decline tied partly to Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "3.7%", "context": "vs 4.5% Florida, 4.1% national, August 2026"}, {"label": "Miami-Dade finance wage growth", "value": "+9.8%", "context": "vs Broward finance wages down 3.2%"}, {"label": "Fort Lauderdale division employment", "value": "-1.0% YoY", "context": "9,400 jobs lost, February 2026 data"}, {"label": "Florida WARN-affected workers tied to Spirit", "value": "4,850+", "context": "3,260+ in Miami-Dade/Broward, May 2026"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Miami-Dade and Broward are telling two different economic stories.", "body": "Miami-Dade's finance sector grew 4% in employment and 9.8% in wages while Broward's finance employment fell 1.7% with wages down 3.2%. A single metro-wide unemployment figure of 3.7% obscures this split and risks misinforming county-specific investment or planning decisions."}, {"headline": "Spirit Airlines' collapse remains the metro's clearest named-employer shock.", "body": "Spirit's bankruptcy drove over 3,260 of Florida's 13,944 WARN-noticed job losses in Broward and Miami-Dade combined, concentrated in May. Affected-worker reabsorption into aviation, logistics, or adjacent sectors is a tangible local indicator worth tracking into Q4."}, {"headline": "Minimum wage increase lands against a cooling statewide hiring backdrop.", "body": "Florida's rise to $15.00/hour on September 30 reaches workers in a state where job openings-to-seeker ratios have tightened to roughly 93 seekers per 100 openings. Locally, stable advertised pay for retail and food-service roles suggests the increase is landing in a market with limited pre-existing wage pressure to absorb it."}, {"headline": "Local wage-vs-inflation picture still looks healthier than the national one.", "body": "National average hourly earnings growth slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, eroding real purchasing power broadly, while Miami-Dade's 5.1% average salary growth and $1,797 average weekly wage (above the $1,654 national average) suggest local purchasing power is holding up better than the national trend implies."}], "local_conditions": "Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach held 3.7% unemployment in August, the lowest of any major Florida metro and well under the state's 4.5% and national 4.1% rates, even as nonagricultural employment in the Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise metro division fell 1.0% year-over-year amid Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy fallout and finance-sector softness in Broward. Wage momentum stayed strongest in Miami-Dade, where compensation costs rose roughly 5-6% year-over-year and finance/insurance wages jumped 9.8%, a divergence that is reshaping which part of the metro is absorbing the state's September 30 minimum-wage increase to $15.00/hour.", "implications": "County-level divergence matters more than the metro headline this month: Miami-Dade's low unemployment and double-digit finance wage growth point to a business climate still absorbing investment, while Broward's job losses and wage softness in finance suggest more caution is warranted there before committing to expansion. Commerce leaders evaluating site-selection or expansion decisions should weigh county-specific momentum rather than the blended metro figure, and government economists tracking public-sector stability should note the Fort Lauderdale division's broader payroll contraction against Miami-Dade's resilience. Consider disaggregating any metro-wide economic read by county before using it to inform investment or planning conversations with members or constituents.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Watch whether Broward's finance and nonagricultural employment declines persist into Q4 data releases or prove a one-quarter dip tied to Spirit Airlines' wind-down. A continued slide would mark a genuine divergence from Miami-Dade's trajectory, not just noise."}, {"category": "Expected", "body": "Florida's minimum wage move to $15.00/hour on September 30 will show up in October-November advertised pay data for retail, food service, and hospitality roles across the metro. The relevant question is whether Miami-Dade employers raise pay further above the floor to preserve wage differentials."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "National WARN activity names Amazon, Meta, Verizon, Oracle, and Tyson among 2026's largest filers; none has yet surfaced prominently in South Florida notices. Any expansion of that national layoff list into logistics, retail distribution, or tech-adjacent roles locally would be a meaningful shift from the metro's current resilience."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Education and health services keeps adding jobs locally and statewide (1,900 in Fort Lauderdale-Pompano division, 39,000 statewide), the most dependable growth engine in an otherwise uneven metro. Continued strength there would support the case that public-sector and institutional stability is cushioning softer private-sector segments."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28886.0, "metro_p50": 33918.0, "metro_p75": 37690.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 27704.0, "metro_p50": 31337.0, "metro_p75": 33280.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30952.0, "metro_p50": 35360.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 49067.0, "metro_p50": 82500.0, "metro_p75": 106600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30196.0, "metro_p50": 32848.0, "metro_p75": 37440.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32231.5, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 41500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 53040.0, "metro_p50": 63798.0, "metro_p75": 69182.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31200.0, "metro_p50": 35360.0, "metro_p75": 38688.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34029.0, "metro_p50": 40450.0, "metro_p75": 45760.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29347.0, "metro_p50": 33280.0, "metro_p75": 35755.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31737.25, "metro_p50": 35360.0, "metro_p75": 38511.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35405.0, "metro_p50": 42000.0, "metro_p75": 46800.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54726.0, "metro_p50": 65021.0, "metro_p75": 71697.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 79957.0, "metro_p50": 94302.0, "metro_p75": 100598.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 104000.0, "metro_p50": 149168.4, "metro_p75": 164922.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 98720.0, "metro_p50": 132220.0, "metro_p75": 152886.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 61863.75, "metro_p50": 73083.0, "metro_p75": 80292.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72455.0, "metro_p50": 85280.0, "metro_p75": 97124.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54409.0, "metro_p50": 65487.2, "metro_p75": 73097.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48880.0, "metro_p50": 62461.0, "metro_p75": 69864.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58989.0, "metro_p50": 77434.6, "metro_p75": 87000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35880.0, "metro_p50": 51611.6, "metro_p75": 56849.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62500.0, "metro_p50": 85124.0, "metro_p75": 100000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 43680.0, "metro_p50": 63996.0, "metro_p75": 65000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 78543.0, "metro_p50": 92312.0, "metro_p75": 103292.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 63504.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 74568.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 37336.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 55804.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 75757.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 72415.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 70986.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 60000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 36400.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 68951.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:33:02.421965+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/miami-fort-lauderdale-pompano-beach-fl-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}