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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 19, 2008

TAMPA BAY AREA

Unemployment On Rise

The unemployment rate in the Bay area and the state continues to rise. According to statistics from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, the unemployment rate in Florida rose to 4.7 percent in December, compared with 4.3 percent in November. The unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in December 2006.

Despite the increase, Florida's unemployment rate was lower than the national unemployment rate of 5 percent. Florida added 85,800 jobs between December 2006 and December 2007, an increase of 1.1 percent.

Hillsborough County's December jobless rate was 4.4 percent on a nonseasonally adjusted basis. That is up from 4.2 percent in November and 2.9 percent in December 2006.

In Pinellas County, unemployment rose to 4.4 percent in December, compared with 4.2 percent in November and 2.8 percent a year ago.

Pasco County joblessness rose to 5.5 percent in December, up from 5.2 percent in November and 3.6 percent in December 2006.

Hudson On Lennar Board

Miami-based Lennar Corp. said Friday that Sherrill W. Hudson, chairman and chief executive officer of Tampa-based TECO Energy, has been named to Lennar's board and to the home builder's audit committee and compensation committee.

NATION

Leading Indicators Skid

A gauge of future economic activity skidded 0.2 percent in December, registering its third consecutive monthly decline and signaling that the U.S. economy likely will weaken further in coming months. The Conference Board said Friday that its index of leading indicators fell last month to 136.5, its lowest reading in more than 2 years, after declining 0.4 percent to a revised 136.8 in November and 0.7 percent to 137.3 in October. The index is watched as an indicator of where the U.S. economy is headed in the next three to six months.

Amtrak Averts Strike?

Amtrak said Friday that it has a preliminary deal with nine labor unions averting a potentially devastating strike at the end of January. The agreement's details will not be released until it is ratified by affected union members in coming weeks, Amtrak said.

WORLD

Confidence Falls In Japan

Consumer sentiment in Japan worsened in December, falling to its most pessimistic level in four and a half years, the government said Friday.

A staff and wire report

Watch the Tribune's Business report at 5, 6 and 11 a.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m. Saturdays on WFLA-TV.

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