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| Main Office 7935 Airport-Pulling Rd N, Suite 205 Naples, Florida 34109 |
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Richard Weldon saw the social networking trend early.
TALLAHASSEE — This is the kind of record no one likes to set: The lingering effects of the Great Recession pushed Florida's
unemployment rate to a modern high last month, state labor officials reported Friday.
The February 2010 jobless rate of 12.2 percent was the highest since the state began keeping count in 1970. It topped the
previous documented record of 11.9 percent in May 1975. And it exceeded the national average of 9.7 percent in February.
Florida's army of the jobless now numbers more than 1.1 million people, according to the state's Agency of Workforce Innovation.
More than 211,000 jobs have evaporated in the past year.
Still, experts said the bottom of the employment cycle might be in place or at least in sight. They noted that other elements of the
economy are recovering and that February's unemployment rate is just a tad below the legislative prediction of a worst-case 12.3
percent.
In fact, Friday's report showed a modest month-to-month gain of jobs, the first improvement in more than two years. But the work
force grew faster, accounting for the higher unemployment percentage.
"While the unemployment rate is a lagging indicator of economic recovery, last month's positive job growth of 26,300 jobs and a
300 percent reduction in the number of layoff notices since the peak last May are both encouraging signs of an improving
economy," said Cynthia Lorenzo, director of the Agency of Workforce Innovation, which serves as Florida's labor department.
Hoping to jump start rehiring or at least prevent further job losses, the Florida Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist combined on
March 2 — the first day of the 2010 legislative session — to rescind a scheduled increase in the unemployment compensation tax.
Many employers had complained that the higher tax would compel them to fire more workers rather than shoulder the per-worker
cost.
Another ray of hope comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, which next week will hire up to 63,700 Floridians as temporary workers.
But for many Floridians, the current situation and the immediate outlook remain grim.
Once again, Florida's construction industry is in the worst shape. More than 73,600 construction jobs have disappeared in the past
year, a 17.1 percent decline. Other hard-hit industries included transportation and utilities, tourism and hospitality, and
manufacturing.
Flagler County, along the Atlantic Coast south of St. Augustine, had the highest unemployment rate in February — 17 percent.
Liberty County, a sparsely populated area west of Tallahassee and home to a state prison, had the lowest unemployment rate —
7.5 percent.
Analysts said high-unemployment counties tended to depend on construction, manufacturing and financial services, while low-
unemployment counties tended to depend on government-related jobs.
With the Legislature in session and a busy election season already under way, politicians reacted swiftly to the report.
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., a candidate for U.S. Senate, said Floridians already know "that our state is hurting."
"Other states are beginning their economic recovery, but Florida is lagging behind," Meek said.