Governor DeSantis Announces Tampa Area Unemployment Rate Down to 2.2 Percent as Area Gained the most Private Sector Jobs in December 2022

Tampa, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Tampa area led the state’s private sector job gains, up 68,300 jobs over the year (+5.3 percent). The Tampa area’s unemployment rate was 2.2 percent in December 2022, a decrease of 0.5 percentage point from the year ago rate of 2.7 percent.

In December 2022, the Tampa metro area led the metro areas in job gains over the year in other services, increasing by 7,000 jobs; construction, increasing by 6,800 jobs; and information, increasing by 1,100 jobs. The Tampa area’s labor force grew by 65,027 over the year in December 2022, a 4.1 percent increase.

December 2022 marks the second month in 2022 that Florida reached a 2.5 percent unemployment rate, a historic low last reached in 2006.  Florida’s private sector employment increased by 425,800 jobs over the year in December 2022 (+5.3 percent), two full percentage points faster than the national over-the-year growth rate of 3.3 percent. In December 2022, Florida’s private sector employment increased by 18,000 over the month (+0.2 percentage point). Florida’s labor force grew by 3.5 percent over the year in December 2022, faster than the national growth rate of 1.6 percent over the same time period.

Florida’s population increased to 22.2 million in 2022, maintaining the state’s status as the third largest in the nation behind California and Texas. Idaho had the second highest growth rate among all states at +1.8 percent followed by South Carolina (+1.7%) and Texas (+1.6%). New York, California, and Illinois are among states that experienced negative growth in 2022, with growth rates of -0.9%, -0.3%, and -0.8%, respectively. 

Data in the month of December continues to indicate there are many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 442,000 jobs posted online. Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance on how to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve their employability by perfecting resume writing and interviewing skills, establishing career goals, and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.

To view the statewide December 2022 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases. Visit Florida Insight for more information on labor market and economic data.

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