Jacksonville's job growth rate picked up considerably in January, according to data released by the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. The numbers for February 2004 were also impressive. In February, the unemployment rate in Workforce Region 8 (Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns counties) was 4.8 percent (not seasonally adjusted), down by 0.3 percentage point from the year ago rate of 5.1 percent. The February rate was 0.3 percentage point higher than the state’s unemployment rate of 4.5 percent. Out of a labor force of 634,833 there were 30,523 unemployed Workforce Region 8 residents.

Duval (5.3 percent) and Putnam (4.6 percent) counties had the highest unemployment rates in Workforce Region 8. St. Johns County, with an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent, had the lowest
unemployment rate in the area.

In February 2004, the industry sector with the greatest number of jobs in the Jacksonville metro area was trade,transportation, and utilities (124,200 jobs). Professional and business services (86,000 jobs)was the next largest industry super sector.

Employment in the Jacksonville metro area grew faster (2.4 percent) over the year than the state (2.0 percent) in February 2004. During this time period, nonagricultural employment increased by 13,200 jobs to a total of 566,300. Professional and business services (+3,100 jobs) added the most new jobs
followed by government (+2,600 jobs) and financial activities (+2,000 jobs).

The industry sectors that grew faster in the Jacksonville metro area than in the state were: government (+3.7 percent);financial activities (+3.5 percent); other services (+3.2 percent); education and health services (+3.0 percent); leisure and hospitality (+2.2 percent); trade, transportation, and utilities (+1.6 percent); and information (+0.8 percent). AWI had been reporting growth rates of close to 1 percent in the last few months of 2003.