July unemployment rates were released today. The unemployment rates in Florida from June to July were unchanged at 6.2 percent, but, Tampa Bay's unemployment rate rose from 6.3 percent to 6.8 percent, losing 7,000 jobs over the month.
The unemployment rate for the US in July is also at 6.2 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate has been less than or equal to the national rate for 14 of the last 15 months.
July 2014 was the 48th consecutive month with positive annual job growth after the state lost jobs for over three years. The industry gaining the most jobs in the last year was trade, transportation, and utilities with 43,200 jobs added, at a 2.7 percent increase. The construction industry had an 11.1 percent increase over the last 12 months, adding 40,600 jobs.
