May’s seasonably adjusted statewide unemployment rate is up 0.5 percentage points from April and 4.4 points from May 2008.
The bad news was delivered in a June 19 report from the state’s Agency for Workforce Innovation.
According to the report for May, 943,000 Floridians out of a labor force of 9,232,000 were unemployed. The state’s unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points higher than the national average unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.
In Pinellas County, 47,510 out of a workforce of 457,629 were unemployed during the month of May for an unemployment rate of 10.4 percent. April’s unemployment rate for Pinellas was 10.1 percent. In May 2008, the rate was 5.5 percent.
Pinellas County was ranked No. 23 out of the state’s 67 counties. Flagler County reported the highest unemployment rate of 14.4 percent with Liberty County coming in with the lowest, 5 percent.
Figures for the local area of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, which includes the counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, showed an unemployment rate of 10.6 percent, up from 10.2 percent in April and 5.9 percent in May 2008.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ranked No. 10 in comparison with the 23 other metropolitan divisions. Palm Coast MSA reported the highest unemployment rate with 14.4 percent and Gainesville MSA had the lowest at 6.7 percent.
According to a press release from the Agency for Workplace Innovation, Florida’s total nonagricultural employment in May 2009 was 7,389,100, representing a job loss of 417,500, or a negative 5.3 percent compared to May 2008.
“This is steeper than the national rate of decline for May which is a negative 3.9 percent over the year,” the report said. The May 2009 job loss continues the trend of annual declines that began in August 2007. The downturn started with declines in construction jobs, but has now spread to most all other major industries.”
The industry losing the most jobs in May was professional and business services. Health services was the only industry reporting an increase in employment. Officials said the increase was primarily in nursing and residential care facilities.
