Staffing services get jobs done; finance a big loser. (Tampa Bay Area)(Special Report: Jobs)

Back-office operations a leader in Bay Area opportunities, but vegetable raising jobs squashed

The Bay Area, much like the rest of the Southeast, has been a national leader in terms of job creation in recent years, a state of affairs that economists and other financial forecasters don't expect to change in 1997.

So, which industries are growing most and which are shrinking?

Data collected by the state Department of Labor and Employment give some idea of where the jobs are - and where they're not.

According to the agency's "ES202" report, which covers most Florida employers except sole proprietors, the fastest growing employer from 1990 through 1995 was the personnel supplier.

This category includes temporary employment services, and one of the business success stories of the 1990s, employee leasing companies.

In 1990, employment in this SIC code for the six-county Bay Area stood at 42,010. By the end of 1995, employment in the category was at 95,967.

The large number of employees in this SIC code, however, makes it difficult to be exact about which industries are adding employees and which aren't because people employed under this code work in all industries.

On the other hand, state and local officials say it does tell you …