Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Naples area added 5,300 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The area’s unemployment rate was 2.8 percent in May, down 0.3 percentage point from one year ago. The Fort Myers area added 10,000 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The area’s unemployment rate was 3.0 percent in May, down 0.2 percentage point from one year ago.

The industry with the highest growth over the year in the Naples area was construction with 2,400 new jobs. In May, Naples area had 4,765 job openings and of those, 842 were for high-skill, high-wage STEM jobs.

The industries with the highest growth over the year in the Fort Myers area were construction with 2,800 new jobs, professional and business services with 2,200 new jobs and leisure and hospitality with 2,200 new jobs. In May, Fort Myers area had 10,171 job openings and of those, 1,827 were for high-skill, high-wage STEM jobs.

Statewide, Florida businesses created 16,000 new private-sector jobs in May 2019. Florida’s annual private-sector job growth rate of 2.7 percent continues to exceed the nation’s rate of 1.8 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate of 3.4 percent represents a drop of 0.3 percentage point over the year. This is while 124,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.2 percent in the past year.

To view the May 2019 employment data, visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

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