Floridas unemployment rate dropped to its lowest mark since March 2009, with numbers for January down 10 percent since November, according to the state Department of Economic Opportunity.
For the first month of 2012, the seasonally adjusted unemployment mark for the Sunshine State was 9.6 percent, down from 9.9 percent a month earlier and 10.9 percent a year earlier.
Gov. Rick Scott stated he was pleased with the latest numbers.
Its great to see Floridas economy is trending in the right direction and our unemployment rate is the lowest in three years, Scott stated in a release.
Overall, there were 894,000 listed as unemployed during the post-holiday season out of a potential labor force of 9.3 million. In December, the seasonally adjusted number of unemployed stood at 913,000.
Most of the gains were in agricultural jobs, with the growing season now starting to bloom across the peninsula.
Nonagricultural jobs -- up nearly 75,000 from a year ago at the same point -- dropped by 121,200 since December, according to the state DEO. Nearly half of the monthly decline came in retail and wholesale trade.
Construction also recorded further declines, dropping by 16,800 since December and 20,700 off the mark from a year ago.
Overall, private sector jobs are up 88,700 from a year ago, even with a one-month decline of 114,400 positions, according to the DEO.
Meanwhile, government jobs in Florida, at the state and local levels, decreased by 5,500 between December and January. Local governments shed a total of 5,800 jobs.
On Friday, the Department of Labor Statistics unveiled the latest national unemployment figures and, while there were an additional 227,000 nonfarm jobs added to the economy in February, the unemployment rate remained unchanged -- 8.3 percent. There remain almost 13 million unemployed in the United States.
Floridas unemployment rate has been higher than the national mark since February 2008.
Across Florida, many governments that have relied heavily on government jobs have held the lowest unemployment marks: 5.7 percent, Monroe County; 6.9 percent, Okaloosa and Walton counties; 7.3 percent, Alachua County.
The highest marks remain in counties that have seen big drops in information, government and construction jobs: 13.5 percent, Flagler County (down from 13.9 percent in December); 12.8 percent, Hernando County; and 11.8 percent for St. Lucie, Putnam, Hendry and Dixie counties.
Overall, there were 24 Florida counties with double-digit unemployment rates in January, down from 33 in November and 27 in December.
Jim Turner can be reached at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.
