Florida's jobless rate at 4.9 percent

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Florida's unemployment rate stood at 4.9 percent in March, down from a revised February rate of 5 percent. The March jobless rate represented 484,000 Floridians out of work from a labor force that has grown to 9.8 million, the state Department of Economic Opportunity said Friday. The preliminary numbers indicate 7,000 fewer Floridians qualified as unemployed in March than in February. Gov. Rick Scott, in a prepared statement, focused on the private sector having created 36,000 jobs since the start of the year, the same number his office announced had been created by the private sector in January. "I am proud to announce today that Florida businesses have created more than 36,000 new jobs so far this year," Scott said Friday. "Florida continues to be a leader in job creation, and our annual private-sector job growth rate has exceeded the nation's for four straight years." The current figures place Florida just ahead of the national unemployment rate, which stands at 5 percent. Scott announced the monthly figures during an appearance Friday at Beneficial Blends, a manufacturer in Tampa. The state initially announced the February unemployment rate at 4.9 percent before revising it to 5 percent. The state has now revised up its initial monthly projection for five consecutive months.