Florida Jobless Rate Remain At 12%, Unchanged From November
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - Despite increased retail sales and all those holiday hires, Florida's unemployment rate in December 2010 did not see any gains.
The rate is 12 percent, unchanged from November, according to state officials. This represents 1,108,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,245,000.
The hardest hit sectors include construction, financial services and information industries.
Governor Rick Scott said the high rate is unacceptable.
"Today's report of a 12 percent unemployment rate for Florida in December means that more than 1.1 million Floridians are jobless," Scott said in a statement. "This is not acceptable. The numbers reaffirm my commitment to getting Florida back to work, and prove that we must put job creation first by making Florida the best place to do business."
The state's unemployment rate hit the 12 percent mark last January and set a modern record at 12.3 percent in March. Since then the lowest it's been has been 11.4 percent in June.
The results specifically show that Florida's total nonagricultural employment in December 2010 is 7,193,900, a decline of 17,900 jobs (-0.2 percent) from November. The number of jobs in the state is up 43,500 over the year, an increase of 0.6 percent from December 2009. This is the sixth consecutive month of job gains over the year.
"Although 12 percent unemployment is too high, a sixth straight month of job gains over the year is a positive sign, and with Governor Scott's emphasis on strategies to spark and support job creation, we anticipate continued improvement in our economy," said Agency for Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. "As opportunities increase, we encourage job seekers and employers to stay in regular contact with their local One-Stop Career Centers and take advantage of Florida's many available employment and training programs."
Of the metro areas with job declines, the areas with the largest losses are Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach showing a loss of 5,300 jobs.
The December results for unemployment shows that Miami-Dade County's rate worsened. The county ranks number 10 on the Florida County list with an unemployment rate at 13.2 percent, up .2 percent from November 2010. Broward County improved however as it ranked number 49 at 10.4 percent, down .6 percent from November 2010. But Broward leads the state on job losses.
The total unofficial unemployment rate for South Florida stands at more than 271,000 people, CBS4's Al Sunshine reported.
Job Training Opportunities
Funded by a $3.46 million National Emergency Grant received by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, On-the-Job Training programs are helping employers in a wide variety of industries create training and job opportunities for unemployed workers in many parts of the state. Participants in these training programs are given a chance to "earn and learn," which means they will receive compensation while upgrading or learning new occupational skills. Participating employers receive up to 90 percent reimbursement to offset the cost of training, which helps spur economic recovery by encouraging businesses to hire workers sooner than previously planned. Visit this link for a list of the state's Regional Workforce Boards or contact the Employ Florida Marketplace at 866-352-2345 for more information.
Opportunities for Aerospace Workers
Florida businesses are invited to apply for incentives available through a $15 million National Emergency Grant awarded to Brevard Workforce to hire and train unemployed aerospace workers for new job opportunities. The incentives can help hire much-needed employees by covering half of the employee's salary for 90 days (up to $9,600) if the employment is full time and is re-training the employee with a new skill. Interested employers can learn more at http://www.launchnewcareers.com/ojt-training-registration/.
