Florida Job Market 2013

Some figures show Florida is better economically than the rest of the nation, but it can be deceiving. The unemployment rate has fallen 1.4 % in the last year in Florida and 250,000 jobs have been added. The growth has been seen primarily in the Florida Keys and in Central Florida. Although Florida has shown three years of consecutive job growth, according to economists, we still have 7 percent fewer jobs in Florida today than we did before the recession, and unemployment stands at 7.4 percent, leaving a gap of about 600,000 jobs that we hope will bloom in the Sunshine State soon.

The job market has mainly expanded in the entertainment industry; inclusive of restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. This area has netted 40,500 new jobs over the past year. The Service sector has grown the most and even construction is coming back with a 3.2 % rise in growth. Other areas of growth are transportation, trade and warehousing. Private employment has risen 2.3 percent. The only areas still suffering are publishing and government jobs, but thankfully these are being offset by the increases in the tech sectors of employment. Unfortunately the types of jobs being added to the employment market are jobs that pay low wages. Not only are there still less jobs, but the wages do not compare to those before the recession.