Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, the Department of Economic Opportunity announced the Tampa area private-sector employment decreased by 62,100 jobs (-5.1 percent) over the year. The Tampa area’s unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in August, up 3.5 percentage points from one year ago.

The industry losing the most jobs over the year was leisure and hospitality (-34,400 jobs). Two major industries gained jobs over the year in August 2020: government (+3,100 jobs); and construction (+1,400 jobs).

Statewide, the number of private-sector jobs increased 46,000, up 0.6 percent from July 2020. Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.4 percent in August 2020. Florida’s labor force was up 143,000 (+1.4 percent) over the month.

To view the August 2020 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.  

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