FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2012
CONTACT: DEO Communications, (850) 617-5600, media@deo.myflorida.com
FLORIDA'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE CONTINUES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH DROP TO 8.7 PERCENT
Lowest monthly unemployment rate since January 2009
TALLAHASSEE – Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced that Florida’s unemployment rate continued its decline, dropping down to 8.7 in April 2012 – the lowest since January 2009. The April 2012 rate was 1.9 percentage points lower than the April 2011 rate of 10.6 percent.
“This continued drop in Florida’s unemployment rate is proving our economy is on the path to recovery and Floridians are getting back to work,” said Governor Rick Scott. “With Florida being ranked as one of the top two states for business in the nation, employers are sure to continue expanding and moving to Florida creating jobs that help us ensure this pattern will continue.”
Florida’s job growth rate over the year has been positive for 21 consecutive months, after losing jobs for three straight years. Since Governor Scott’s inauguration, the state’s unemployment rate has dropped 2.2 percentage points and added almost 100,000 private sector jobs.
Additional positive workforce trends include:
- Florida’s unemployment rates have declined over the year for 17 consecutive months
- Florida’s unemployment rate has declined for 10 consecutive months
- Florida’s job growth over the month has been positive for eight of the last 10 months
Also in April, the state’s 24 Regional Workforce Boards reported that nearly 30,000 Floridians were placed in jobs, with 124,000 job placements reported since January. Of these individuals, 6,754 previously receiving unemployment compensation were assisted in April, with 27,500 former claimants finding employment since the beginning of the year. This continues a positive trend statewide in reducing the impact on the state’s unemployment compensation totals, with 345,000 people claiming benefits representing a drop of more than 45 percent from the peak of 735,000 claims in February 2010. This reduction means less of a financial burden on taxpayers and businesses.
“Under the leadership of our job-focused Governor, Florida’s unemployment rate has decreased to its lowest point in more than three years, again showing Florida is headed in the right direction,” said DEO Executive Director Hunting F. Deutsch. “We will continue collaborating with our partners at Enterprise Florida and Workforce Florida to create a reemployment system that produces the best workforce in the nation to support Florida’s growing businesses.”
Florida’s job openings advertised online were 243,000 in April 2012, up nearly 3 percent over the month according to The Conference Board. This is a gain in labor demand over the month of nearly 7,000 job openings.
To view the April 2012 monthly employment data visit: www.floridajobs.org/lmsc/releases.
To view the latest Help Wanted OnLine Job Demand report from The Conference Board visit: www.floridajobs.org/lmsc/hwol.
Recently, Governor Scott signed the 2012-13 state budget which included more than $1 billion in additional education funding. The increase, coupled with the Governor’s Job Creation and Economic Growth Agenda and auto insurance fraud reform, are all steps on the road to making Florida the greatest state in the nation to live, work and play. For more information on the 2012-13 budget, visit www.FLGov.com/budget/.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.
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