The Miami area added 25,000 new private-sector jobs in the Feb. 2018-Feb. 2019 period.

TALLAHASSEE, FL—The private sector added more than 206,000 jobs in the past year in Florida, including 24,300 jobs during the month of February, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The state's unemployment rate in February dropped to 3.5%, down 0.4% from a year earlier.

Florida's seasonally adjusted total non-agricultural employment was 8,921,600 in February 2019, an increase of 25,200 jobs (+0.3%) over January 2019's totals. The state gained 211,900 jobs over the year, an increase of 2.4%.

Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the state's very favorable labor numbers, noting that Florida's labor force continued to grow with 170,000 people entering the labor force at an annual growth rate of 1.7%, up 0.2% from January 2019. In the past year, 206,300 new private-sector jobs were created in Florida overall and 24,300 private-sector jobs were created in February 2019.

“Florida's economy is working,” said Governor DeSantis. “We have to continue this success by keeping taxes low and regulations limited, supporting policy to make Florida the best state for career and technical education, and making important investments in the environment and Florida's infrastructure.”

Florida's annual private-sector job growth rate of 2.7% outpaces the national job growth rate of 1.9%.

The professional and business services sector led all fields with 50,600 new jobs in the past 12 months, followed by education and health services with 40,700 new jobs; trade, transportation and utilities with 32,000 new jobs; leisure and hospitality with 27,800 new jobs; construction with 22,400 new jobs; and financial activities with 18,300 new jobs.

The one private industry sector to lose jobs from February 2018-February 2019 was the information field, which shed 700 positions.

It's becoming old hat, but the City of Orlando once again was the top metro area for job growth. February 2019 marked 47 consecutive months that the Orlando area scored the highest job creation in the state. Orlando added 48,200 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The unemployment rate in Orlando was 3.2%, down 0.3% from one year ago.

The industries with the highest growth numbers over the year period in the Orlando area were professional and business services with 21,000 new jobs and leisure and hospitality with 10,000 new jobs.

In February, the Orlando area was second among state metro areas in job demand with 50,346 job openings. Orlando also remained the second-highest metro area in demand for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations with 15,578 openings.

Coming in at #2 for job growth was the Tampa area, which saw a gain of 27,600 jobs from February 2018-February 2019. Tampa's unemployment rate was 3.4% in February 2019, down 0.3% from one year earlier.

The industries in Tampa with the highest job growth during that period were professional and business services with 8,500 new jobs and financial activities, which added 5,000 new jobs.

The Tampa area remained first among the state metro areas in job demand in February with 58,143 openings. The Tampa area also continues to rank first in the state in demand for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations with 19,235 openings in February 2019.

Another hot job market in the Sunshine state is the Miami area, which added 25,000 new private-sector jobs in the Feb. 2018-Feb. 2019 period. The new jobs gained during that time earned the city the third-highest new job totals among all Florida metro areas. Miami's unemployment rate was 3.2%, in February, down 0.8% from one year ago.

High job growth sectors in Miami included professional and business services with 7,400 new jobs and education and health services with 5,500 new jobs.

Miami ranked third among the state's metro areas in job demand with 37,798 openings in February, and offered the third-highest number of high-skill, high-wage STEM jobs with 9,539 online ads.

Other metros of note include the Fort Lauderdale area, which added 15,800 new private-sector jobs during that 12-month period. Fort Lauderdale's unemployment rate was 3.3% in February, down 0.3% from February 2018.

The industry with the highest growth in the Fort Lauderdale area in that 12-month time frame was professional and business services with 6,700 new jobs. Fort Lauderdale remained among the top four metro areas in online job demand in Florida with 31,507 openings in February. Also, the area had the fifth-highest number of openings for high-skill, high-wage STEM occupations with 7,939 job ads.

The West Palm Beach area added 10,400 new private-sector jobs in the past year, while the City of Jacksonville's private sector workforce grew by 6,200 positions in that year period.

Instant Insights /

Professional, Business Services Fueling Florida's Private Sector Job Growth

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