TAMPA, Fla. — Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that the Tampa area added 39,200 new private-sector jobs in the last year, the second-highest number of jobs among all Florida metro areas. Tampa’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent, down 0.8 percentage point from one year ago. Statewide, Florida businesses created 22,100 new jobs in August and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent, the lowest rate since June 2007. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,441,000 new private-sector jobs.

Tampa led the state in job growth over the year in professional and business services with 16,300 new jobs; construction with 7,400 new jobs; and other services with 4,600 new jobs. The Tampa area remained first among the state metro areas in job demand in August with 42,726 openings. The Tampa area also continues to rank first in the state in demand for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations with 13,879 openings in August.

Florida’s annual job growth rate of 2.9 percent exceeds the nation’s rate of 1.7 percent, continuing the 65-month trend of our state’s rate being higher than the nation’s. In August, 23,936 Floridians were placed in jobs by CareerSource Tampa Bay and the state’s other 23 local workforce boards. 


To view the August 2017 employment data visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.|

###