May 20, 2011

Florida, Orlando Jobless Rates Drop in April
By Jim Stratton, Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-florida-jobless-april-20110520,0,2811285.story

Florida's labor landscape continues to improve slowly, with unemployment rates across the state and in Central Florida falling to some of the lowest levels in two years.

Metro Orlando's jobless rate for April dipped to 9.9 percent, state officials said Friday, sliding below double digits for the first time since May 2009. The statewide rate fell to 10.8 percent, the lowest since September 2009.

The statewide figure represents about 996,000 jobless Floridians in a labor pool of about 9.2 million. Officials said this is the first time since October 2009 that the number of unemployed in Florida has fallen below 1 million.

April is the fourth month in a row in which the statewide unemployment rate has fallen. The jobless rate is down 0.3 percentage points from March, down half a point from the same time last year.

Gov. Rick Scott, who has cast himself as Florida's chief economic development officer, suggested in a statement that his pro-business agenda was in part responsible for the improving numbers.

"I remain focused on job creation, so it is great news that this trend is continuing in the right direction," Scott said.

The new numbers show that total employment rose to 8.2 million, up 27,000 over the previous month. Over the year, Florida's total employment increased by 83,000, an increase of 1 percent.

Metro Orlando continues to lead the state in new job creation, adding 15,200 jobs in the last year – an increase of 1.5 percent. The Miami area added 10,000 jobs over the year, and Tampa-St. Petersburg added 7,800.

Central Florida's unemployment rate in April was down half a percentage point from the previous month. It is down about 1.1 percent from April 2010. The last time the metro area's unemployment rate was below double digits was in May 2009 when the rate was 9.7 percent.

Job growth in the region is being propelled by the leisure and hospitality industry, said State Economist Rebecca Rust. Department of Labor figures show jobs in that sector have grown about 7.1 percent in the past 12 months.

Statewide, leisure and hospitality added about 39,400 jobs over the year, increasing by about 4.3 percent. Private education and health services added 17,200 positions over the same time – an increase of 1.6 percent.

Rust said year-over-year job growth has been positive now for seven months in a row, a trend she called a "very significant improvement" for the state.

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