The City of Orlando has led all metro regions for 53 straight months in private-sector job growth.
TALLAHASSEE, FL—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reports that the Sunshine State added 213,000 private-sector jobs in the first eight months of 2019.
Leading the way were the cities of Orlando and Miami, which ranked number one and two respectively in terms of private-sector job growth in the first eight months of this year.
The governor also pointed to the state's low unemployment rate of 3.3% and low taxes as keys to the state's strong economy.
"We are continuing to make Florida the ideal location for businesses to grow and hire Floridians," said Gov. DeSantis. "As we continue to develop our workforce, we are expanding industries that will pave the way for future careers. The financial technology industry is booming, and we remain committed to supporting its growth."
Last week, Gov. DeSantis announced a number of initiatives geared to attracting fintech firms to Florida.
Among some of the most positive data points for the Florida economy included that the state's annual private-sector job growth rate of 2.8% continues to outpace the national job growth rate of 1.6%. Also, the state's labor force continued to grow with 143,000 entering the labor force over the year at an annual growth rate of 1.4%.
Leading job growth industries were: education and health services with 62,800 new jobs; professional and business services with 46,800 new jobs; leisure and hospitality with 23,500 new jobs; trade, transportation and utilities with 21,900 new jobs; construction with 20,900 new jobs; and financial activities with 18,700 new jobs.
For the 53rd consecutive month, the Orlando area had the highest job creation in the state, adding 49,600 new private-sector jobs in the past year. The unemployment rate in the Orlando area was 3.2% in August, down 0.1 percentage point from one year earlier,
The industry with the highest growth over the year in the Orlando area was professional and business services with 20,800 new jobs through August of this year.
The Miami area added 28,100 new private-sector jobs in the last year, the second-highest number of private-sector jobs among all Florida metro areas. The Miami area's unemployment rate was 3.5%, down 0.5 percentage point from August 2018.
Education and health services led all industries in the Miami area with 11,100 new jobs in the first eight months of this year.
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
