Gov. Rick Scott: The Tampa Area Added More Than 32,000 Jobs Over the Year

Press Release

Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the Tampa area added 32,900 new jobs over the year in August 2015. The unemployment rate in the Tampa area declined by 1.2 percentage points over the year from 6.4 percent in August 2014 to 5.2 percent in August 2015.  Florida businesses have added 940,600 private-sector jobs since December 2010.

Governor Scott said, "It is great news that more than 32,000 new jobs were created over the year in the Tampa area. The Tampa area also led the state in online job openings and STEM job openings last month. We will continue to do all we can to ensure Florida families have the opportunity to get a great job."

The industries with the largest gain in jobs over the year were leisure and hospitality with 14,800 new jobs, education and health services with 7,700 new jobs, and trade, transportation, and utilities with 5,000 new jobs. The Tampa Bay MSA was first among the state metro areas in online job demand in August 2015 with 51,652 openings. The metro area was also first in the state in demand for high wage, high skill science technology engineering math (STEM) occupations with 15,768 openings in August.

Florida created 20,100 private-sector jobs in August 2015, and a total of 940,600 private-sector jobs since December 2010. Florida's statewide unemployment rate for August 2015 was 5.3 percent. In August, more than 37,900 Floridians were placed in jobs by CareerSource Tampa Bay and the state's other 23 regional workforce boards.

Source