Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Naples area added 5,500 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The area’s unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in July, down 0.4 percentage point from one year ago. The Fort Myers area added 10,500 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The area’s unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in July, 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 2,100 new jobs. In July, Naples area had 4,231 job openings and of those, 754 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 2,300 new jobs, education and health services with 2,200 new jobs and leisure and hospitality with 2,000 new jobs. In July, Fort Myers area had 9,695 job openings and of those, 1,909 were for high-skill, high-wage STEM jobs.

Statewide, Florida businesses created 28,200 new private-sector jobs in July 2019. Florida’s annual private-sector job growth rate of 2.8 percent continues to exceed the nation’s rate of 1.7 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate of 3.3 percent represents a drop of 0.2 percentage point over the year. This is while 128,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.3 percent in the past year.

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

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