36,000 Jobs Added in January

ORLANDO, Fla. — Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida businesses created 36,000 private-sector jobs in January, continuing Florida’s impressive job-creation streak. Since December 2010, 1,060,800 private-sector jobs have been created in Florida. In January, Florida’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, the lowest in eight years. Governor Scott made the announcement today on his “Million, Billion Jobs Victory Tour” at Orion Technologies in Orlando to celebrate over one million jobs created since December 2010 and over $1 billion in tax cuts over the last two years.

Governor Rick Scott said, “I am excited to announce the creation of 36,000 new jobs over the month of January as we travel the state today on our ‘Million, Billion Jobs Victory Tour.’ Today’s announcement of more jobs created in Florida further adds to the celebration of more than one million jobs created in Florida in only five years and more than $1 billion in taxes cut over the last two years. These are incredible milestones for Florida’s economic growth, and we will continue our focus on creating even more jobs and cutting even more taxes.”

Over the year in January, Florida businesses created 256,300 new private-sector jobs. Florida’s annual private-sector job growth rate of 3.7 percent has exceeded the nation’s for 46 consecutive months. Florida’s unemployment rate has declined by 5.7 percentage points from 10.7 percent in December 2010.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Florida continues to be a beacon of economic success across the nation and globe. For five years, Florida’s economy has rapidly grown, and our state’s solid record of job-creation endures in 2016.”

Other positive economic indicators include:

• Private-sector industries gaining the most jobs over the year in January were professional and business services with 66,300 new jobs; leisure and hospitality with 50,500 new jobs; and trade, transportation, and utilities with 39,900 new jobs.
• Florida job postings showed 287,651 openings in January 2016.

• During January 2016, Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported more than 28,843 Floridians, including 1,417 veterans, were placed in jobs. 

To view the January 2016 employment data visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

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