Florida's unemployment rate dropped to 8.7 percent last month...but the state has 2,700 fewer jobs. That's the mixed message from April's employment report. The answer: discouraged unemployed workers continue to drop out of the labor force. The state's labor pool continues to shrink. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's unemployment rate dropped to 8.5 percent -- very close to the 8.1 percent national average. But like the state, the region lost jobs -- about 600. It also lost its status as the fastest job creating region to Miami.
Scott Finn is a former news director at WUSF Public Media, which provides in-depth reporting for Tampa Bay and all of Florida.
