Florida’s labor crunch is not just about job openings. Employers say a tougher immigration law added pressure to industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers, while state officials argue legal hiring remains available.
Thousands of Florida workers are disappearing from the workforce, and Florida businesses say jobs are becoming harder to fill as immigrant workers leave the state or become unavailable. Employers interviewed by NPR tied part of the disruption to Florida’s 2023 immigration law, SB 1718, which increased penalties for hiring undocumented workers and has contributed, they say, to workers leaving.
The stakes stretch beyond farms. Construction companies, hotels and restaurants say a thinner labor pool can mean delayed projects, reduced capacity and higher operating costs in a state still growing quickly and rebuilding after storms.
Businesses describe an immediate shift
Florida’s labor challenges were already significant before SB 1718 took effect. Employers in physically demanding, seasonal and lower-wage industries have long reported trouble recruiting enough workers, particularly in areas where housing costs have climbed.
But some business owners told NPR that the law changed the calculation for workers and families with uncertain immigration status. Fidel Sanchez, a farm owner in Plant City, said people he had worked with for decades left rapidly after the measure passed, driven by fear and uncertainty.
That does not establish a precise statewide count of departures. The available accounts are employer and worker reports, not a complete census of people who moved away. Still, the experiences point to a practical issue for employers: a job can remain posted even when there is no realistic local pipeline of applicants ready to do it.
The phrase “workers disappearing” can sound abstract. On a farm, it can mean fruit left on the ground because a harvest crew is short. For a roofing company, it can mean an inability to take on work after a hurricane, when demand is especially intense.
SB 1718 raised employer risk
Florida passed SB 1718 in 2023 as part of a broader effort to curb illegal immigration. The law requires many private employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check work eligibility, raises penalties connected to employing unauthorized workers and includes restrictions affecting undocumented residents.
Supporters have framed the policy as an enforcement measure meant to protect Floridians and ensure employers hire legally authorized workers. A spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis told NPR that businesses remain free to hire immigrants so long as they do so legally, and said Florida can maintain a robust economy.
Critics, including employers who depend on large seasonal crews, say the law created fear well beyond a specific workplace. Workers may leave because they worry about family members, transportation, identification requirements or the chance of greater scrutiny, according to accounts reported by NPR.
That disagreement is central to the debate. State leaders focus on compliance and legal employment. Business owners focus on whether the legal labor systems available to them can supply enough people, quickly enough and at a cost their operations can absorb.
Farms face the sharpest pressure
Agriculture makes the labor problem highly visible because crops operate on a calendar. Strawberries, tomatoes and other produce cannot wait weeks for an employer to find replacements, complete paperwork or train a new crew.
NPR reported that the federal government estimates more than 40% of farmworkers nationwide are undocumented. That nationwide figure does not measure Florida alone, but it helps explain why immigration enforcement changes can have an outsized effect on agricultural employers.
Some Florida growers have turned to the H-2A temporary agricultural guest-worker program. Florida hired thousands more H-2A workers in 2023 than in the prior year, according to NPR. Yet growers told the outlet that visa processing, recruitment fees, required housing, transportation and other expenses make the program difficult even for established companies.
Gary Wishnatzki of Wish Farms described H-2A as the only workable way to staff fields but said the system was outdated and expensive. The program may help replace part of the lost workforce, but it is not an instant substitute for experienced workers who already live in a community and know the job.
The shortage reaches beyond fields
Florida’s economy relies on more than agriculture. Construction firms need workers to build housing for newcomers, repair storm damage and complete commercial projects. Hotels and restaurants need staff to serve a tourism economy that depends on predictable capacity.
David Crowther, owner of CFS Roofing Services in Fort Myers, told NPR his company lost about 10% of its workers after SB 1718 passed. He said some employees were concerned about undocumented relatives and their families’ safety.
Employers often argue that adding field labor or trade workers also creates work for U.S.-born employees in management, sales, estimating, logistics and supervision. Critics of that view may question whether businesses should instead raise wages, improve benefits or invest more in training.
Both pressures can exist at once. Higher pay can attract some applicants, but it may also raise food, housing and service costs. Training takes time, and a state with heavy construction, tourism and agricultural demand can still face a mismatch between the jobs available and the people willing or able to take them.
Economic estimates carry real uncertainty
The Florida Policy Institute estimated that the immigration law could cost the state economy $12.6 billion in its first year, excluding lost tax revenue. That is an estimate, not a final accounting, and such forecasts depend on assumptions about how many workers leave, how businesses adapt and how consumers respond to higher costs.
Florida’s broader labor picture is also complicated by population growth. The state has attracted new residents, retirees and businesses, but population gains do not automatically translate into workers for farm fields, roofing crews, kitchens or hotel housekeeping.
An aging population adds another layer. Labor-market economist Ron Hetrick of Lightcast told NPR that Florida’s situation reflects a wider national challenge: without immigration, the workforce can struggle to keep pace as older Americans retire.
The unanswered question is whether Florida can replace the workers its employers say they lost through legal visa programs, automation, better wages, recruiting from other states or some mix of all four. Each option carries costs, and none is likely to work equally well across every industry.
What Florida employers are watching now
For businesses, the immediate test is operational: Can they staff harvests, finish construction jobs, reopen after storms and keep service levels steady? For workers, the issue is whether Florida remains a place where they and their families feel able to live and work.
The policy debate is unlikely to turn on one farm or one roofing company. It will hinge on whether labor shortages persist, whether legal hiring channels become more usable and whether employers can demonstrate that vacancies are limiting growth rather than simply reflecting normal turnover.
Florida’s workforce is not disappearing for one reason alone. Housing costs, demographics, demanding work and a competitive labor market all matter. But accounts from employers across several industries suggest SB 1718 became an important pressure point in a state where the need for workers has not gone away.
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