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A Florida TaxWatch economic report
Florida's mid-year job growth steady
More Floridians are working than any time in at least a decade
Total Florida employment passed its previous peak in February 2007 (8,871,069 jobs) in January 2014, when 8,873,652 Floridians were employed (see chart, below).
Categories with the most jobs created in the past year
From July 2013 through June 2014, the category with the most jobs created was Trade, Transportation and Utilities, with 52,500 jobs created. This was followed by Professional and Business Services, with 45,300 net new jobs, Construction with 41,700 net new jobs, and Leisure and Hospitality with 39,500 net new jobs.
One interesting fact is that Total Government employment increased, even though Federal Government employment decreased (by 700 jobs) and State Government decreased (by 200 jobs). Local Government employment increased by 2,800 jobs in our state – leaving 1,900 net new Total Government jobs created during this 12-month period.
| Job Growth by Category | |
| Category | Jobs* |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities |
52,500 |
| Professional and Business Services |
45,300 |
| Construction |
41,700 |
| Leisure and Hospitality |
39,500 |
| Education and Health Services |
34,100 |
| Financial Activities |
10,300 |
| Other Services |
5,500 |
| Manufacturing |
5,200 |
| Total Government |
1,900 |
| Information | 1,300 |
| * Total is 237,300 – difference of 200 jobs is due to rounding. | |
Job Growth by Florida MSA
Seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that each of Florida’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, with the exception of Ocala, have increased their nonfarm wage rolls over the past 12 months. The gains vary widely, from a negative 0.8 to a positive 4.6 percent increase, compared to Florida’s total nonfarm growth rate of 3.1 percent statewide. Preliminary non-farm employment percentage change estimates for July 2013 – June 2014 for Florida’s MSAs are shown in the table on the next page.
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