TALLAHASSEE — Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida created 23,000 private-sector jobs in August 2014. Since December 2010, Florida’s private-sector businesses have added 643,100 jobs for Florida families. Florida’s annual job growth rate has exceeded the nation’s rate since April 2012.

Governor Rick Scott said, “Today’s announcement of 23,000 private-sector jobs being created in Florida over the month of August is great news for Florida families. As we continue to create an opportunity economy and a business-friendly environment, we are seeing more jobs being created throughout Florida communities. Since December 2010, we have created more than 643,000 private-sector jobs, and we will continue to work so that every Floridian who wants a job can get one.”

The statewide unemployment rate for August 2014 is 6.3 percent, down 0.8 percentage point from the August 2013 rate. Since December 2010, Florida’s unemployment rate has dropped 4.8 percentage points, from 11.1 percent down now to 6.3 percent in August 2014.

Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “The creation of 23,000 private-sector jobs in Florida last month is another strong chapter in Florida’s economic turnaround story. With measurable growth last month in the manufacturing and business and professional services industries, we can see that our efforts to foster the creation of high-skill, high-wage jobs are paying off for Florida families.”

The long-term positive trends in the unemployment rate and job counts are among the most important economic indicators to consider when analyzing the health of Florida’s economic recovery. The state’s private-sector job counts have been steadily on the rise for over four years, showing that Florida’s businesses are responding to the state’s improving economic climate. Since December 2010, the state has added 643,100 private-sector jobs.

More Floridians Getting Back to Work

• Florida’s annual job growth rate has exceeded that of the nation since April 2012.
• Florida’s private sector job growth month-to-month has been positive for 42 of the last 45 months.
• Florida has created 643,100 new private sector jobs since December 2010.
• Florida job postings compiled by the Help Wanted OnLine data series from The Conference Board showed 273,281 openings in August 2014.

Home Sales Robust

• Home sales remain robust as the backlog of existing homes on the market is down by 33.4 percent from December 2011 (Florida Realtors).
• Florida median home prices were up 3.6 percent over the year in July 2014.

   

  Economic Growth Trends Up Across State

• A recent U.S. Census Survey reported that Florida experienced an influx of people moving into the state. Florida also led the nation in migrations from Puerto Rico.
• Florida is running a trade surplus of over $18 billion – with $90.4 billion in exports and $71.8 billion in imports in 2012, up from $86.8 billion in exports in 2011 and $62.4 billion in imports in 2011.

Workforce Boards Assisting in Employment

• In August, Florida’s 24 Regional Workforce Boards reported more than 38,400 Floridians were placed in jobs. An individual who receives employment and training assistance through a CareerSource Center and finds a job within 180 days is deemed a placement and may be reported by a regional workforce board. Of these individuals, 8,134 previously received Reemployment Assistance. 
• In 2013, more than 479,000 Floridians were placed in jobs, with 135,384 former claimants finding employment.

To view the August 2014 employment data visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

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