TALLAHASSEE—Linda H. South, Director, Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, released Florida’s labor market statistics for May 2006.  Based on the latest nationwide data, Florida had the fastest job growth rate and lowest unemployment rate of the ten most populous states and added the highest number of new jobs of all states in the nation.  Florida’s unemployment rate continued to trail the national average. 
 
FLORIDA’S UNEMPLOYMENT (Seasonally Adjusted)
 
 • Florida’s May 2006 unemployment rate was 3.2 percent, up marginally from the 3.0 percent recorded in April 2006.  The rate was down 0.7 percentage point from 3.9 percent a year ago.
 
 • Out of a civilian labor force of 8,929,000, there were 8,647,000 employed and 282,000 unemployed Floridians.
 
 • Florida’s May 2006 rate was 1.4 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.6 percent.  Florida’s unemployment rate has been below the national average since mid-2002.
 

 
FLORIDA’S NONAGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY (Seasonally Adjusted)
 
 • In May 2006, Florida’s nonagricultural employment expanded by 3.5 percent over the year, totaling 8,044,900 jobs.  In comparison, nonagricultural employment grew nationally at a rate of 1.4 percent.
 
 • Florida added 270,600 jobs since May 2005.  The professional and business services and construction industries accounted for almost 45 percent of the new jobs in the state over the year.
 
FLORIDA’S NONAGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
 
  • Florida’s total nonagricultural employment has expanded steadily since September 2002.  In May 2006, there were 8,075,900 nonagricultural jobs, an increase of 3.2 percent (+249,800 jobs) over the year.  All of Florida’s major industries added jobs over the year, with the exception of natural resources and mining, which remained flat.  An overview of some of Florida’s major industry sectors is below.
 
 • Professional and business services led Florida’s industry sectors in employment growth over the year, adding 58,100 jobs (+4.4 percent).  Employment services (+25,200 jobs, +5.3 percent) continued to lead job growth in this industry sector.
 
 • The construction industry continued to exhibit strong growth over the year (+48,600 jobs, +8.5 percent).  Over 75 percent of the over-the-year job gains in the construction industry were in specialty trade contractors (+36,600 jobs, +9.6 percent).  Specialty trade contractors was also the fastest growing subsector in the construction industry, just edging out the over-the-year growth rate of the smaller construction of buildings subsector.  The job growth rate in construction of buildings peaked at over 18 percent in late 2004, and has slowed to a still-strong rate of 9.5 percent, reflecting rising interest rates.
 
 • The trade, transportation, and utilities sector grew by 41,900 jobs (+2.7 percent) over the year.  Retail trade added the most jobs (+24,400 jobs, +2.5 percent) in this industry sector.  The strongest growth within retail trade was in clothing and accessory stores (+8,600 jobs, +8.9 percent), followed by building material and garden supply stores (+5,700 jobs, +6.6 percent), together accounting for almost 60 percent of the job gains in retail trade.
 
 • Leisure and hospitality continued to exhibit steady over-the-year job gains (+32,900 jobs, +3.7 percent).  This industry has exhibited positive growth since mid-2002, despite weather-related challenges.  Most of the job gains were in food services and drinking places (+23,400 jobs, +4.1 percent).
 
 • The manufacturing industry grew slightly over the year, adding 400 jobs (+0.1 percent).  Job gains were in the durable goods sector (+600 jobs, +0.2 percent), while the nondurable goods sector experienced job losses (-200 jobs, -0.2 percent).  Most of the strength in manufacturing was centered in transportation and equipment manufacturing (+1,800 jobs), while losses occurred in computer and electronic product manufacturing; paper manufacturing; and plastics and rubber product manufacturing (-700 jobs each).
 
LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
 
 • In May 2006, Walton County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate (1.9 percent), followed by Collier, Lee, Okaloosa, Sarasota, and Wakulla counties (2.3 percent each).
 
 • Hendry County, at 5.0 percent, was the only area of the state with an unemployment rate above the national average (4.4 percent) in May 2006.
 
 • The counties having the largest over-the-year declines in unemployment rates were:  Hendry (-1.5 percentage points); Calhoun and Madison (-1.2 percentage points each); and DeSoto and Okeechobee (-1.1 percentage points each).  All 67 counties in Florida showed declines in their unemployment rates over the year.
 
 • Hendry County had the state’s highest unemployment rate (5.0 percent), followed by Glades (4.1 percent), Madison (4.0 percent), Hamilton (3.9 percent), and Taylor (3.8 percent) counties.
 
AREA NONAGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
 
 • The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) led the state in over-the-year employment gains (+63,100 jobs, +2.6 percent) in May 2006, followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee MSA (+39,700 jobs, +3.8 percent) and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA (+31,200 jobs, +2.4 percent).  The combined employment growth in these three MSAs was +134,000 jobs, about 54 percent of the total job growth for the state (+249,800 jobs).
 
STATE OF FLORIDAMETROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS
(MSAs) AND METROPOLITAN DIVISIONS (MDs)
RANKED BY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
(NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)
 
United States  4.4%
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall MD  3.52%
Sebastian-Vero Beach MSA    3.43%
Port St. Lucie-Ft. Pierce MSA   3.24%
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach MSA   3.25%
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach MD 3.06%
Jacksonville MSA   3.07%
Lakeland MSA  3.08%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA  3.09%
Panama City-Lynn Haven MSA    2.910%
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent MSA  2.911%
Ocala MSA   2.912%
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville MSA 2.913%
Punta Gorda MSA 2.9%
Florida  2.914%
Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach MD  2.815%
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach MSA   2.816%
Orlando-Kissimmee MSA    2.817%
Tallahassee MSA 2.718%
Gainesville MSA   2.519%
Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice MSA    2.320%
Cape Coral-Ft. Myers MSA   2.321%
Naples-Marco Island MSA    2.322%
Ft. Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin MSA  2.3%