TAMPA, Fla. — Governor Rick Scott announced today that Tampa leads the state in job creation, with an increase of 47,600 new private-sector jobs over the year in May. The unemployment rate in Tampa fell to 4.1 percent over the year, dropping by 1.2 percentage points in the last year.

The industries with the most job growth over the year in the Tampa area were professional and business services with 13,000 new jobs, and education and health services with 11,100 new jobs. The area was once again ranked first among the state metro areas in job demand in May with 49,487 openings. The Tampa area also remained first in the state in demand for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations with 15,727 openings in May.

Florida businesses created 239,000 private-sector jobs over the year in May, exceeding the nation’s private-sector job growth rate for more than four years. Florida’s statewide unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent in May, while 33,589 Floridians were placed in jobs by CareerSource Tampa Bay and the state’s other 24 regional workforce boards. 

To view the May 2016 employment data visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

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