Job Seekers: Florida’s Unemployment Does have Hope

It’s always bad news when we hear the unemployment rate has increased again. Last month was another increase for Floridians, bringing to light just how bad it really is in our state’s job market.

At 12.3%, Florida was outdoing the 9.7% national average by several percentage points. In the Tampa Bay area, the unemployment rate was at 12.7% for the month of March. However, compared to past months like February’s 13.2%, it appears our jobless rate is on the decline. Every county in the Tampa region reported a drop in their unemployment rate for March’s statistics.

The pace of job losses has dramatically slowed and at a national level things seem to be making a turn around. So, what does that mean for Florida? Well, some believe that Florida’s unemployment rate will rise slightly before it begins to fall.

In an article I read, “Record jobless rate again” Dale Brill, president f the Florida Chamber Foundation said, “Florida’s recovery will trail the balance of the nation.” He also cited three obstacles in particular that Florida faced: a weaker housing market, stagnant population growth and heavy reliance on non-wage income.

Ugh. Depressing isn’t even the word for all of that. Isn’t there any good news?

Yes! Records show that Florida’s online job postings have steadily risen to 232,200 in the past month.

The Council of Economic Advisers states that the federal stimulus plan has a segment for adding or keeping 152,000 jobs in Florida in the first quarter of 2010.

Florida’s turnaround will largely be influenced by how well the nation improves because a large part of our economy depends on tourism. When people begin traveling and loosening up personal funds for family vacations and such, Florida will start to fill the impact.

It is slowly and steadily improving, as we can see with the unemployment rates, small changes will take time for Floridians to feel the effects.

Don’t give up. It is getting better. Changes are being made and time will show that to be true. Hold on Florida, we’re almost through one of the worst times since the depression!

What do you think? Do you believe other states are being hit worse than Florida? Leave your comments for me to post and others to read!

Carly Sabato