Governor DeSantis Announces the Tampa Area Gained the Second Highest Number of Private Sector Jobs Over the Year in December 2021

Tampa, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Tampa area gained the second highest number of private sector jobs of all metro areas in the state, adding 75,600 new private sector jobs over the year, a 6.2% increase. The industries gaining the most jobs over the year include leisure and hospitality, increasing by 21,400 jobs; professional and business services, increasing by 18,000 jobs; and trade, transportation, and utilities, increasing by 12,400.

The Tampa area’s labor force in December 2021, increased by 119,389 over the year, a 7.8% increase. Tampa’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.3% in December, down from 3.4% reported in December 2020.

In total, Florida has gained 1,168,400 private sector jobs since April 2020, which represents the recovery of 92.1% of jobs lost during the pandemic. Florida continues to see significant increases in labor force, growing by 616,000 over the year as Floridians remain confident in returning to the labor force. Florida’s unemployment rate has lowered to 4.4%, decreasing by 0.7 percentage point over the year.

Data in the month of December indicates that there continue to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with nearly 550,000 jobs posted online. Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve employability by perfecting resume writing and interviewing skills, establishing career goals, and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.

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