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Tampa Bay Area Unemployment Hits 9.7% In January

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By MICHAEL SASSO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 6, 2009

TAMPA - The number of people out of work soared in the Bay area in January, with each county surpassing 9 percent and the area as a whole nearing double digit unemployment with 9.7 percent, according to state figures released Friday.

That topped the Florida unemployment rate of 8.6 percent in January, according to the state's job service, the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

With unemployment growing month to month, Florida's January rate is still higher than the national rate for February, 8.1 percent, which was released Friday. Florida releases its monthly figures a few weeks after the national numbers become available.

Florida's rate is the highest it has been since September 1992, when it was 8.9 percent.

Among local counties, Hillsborough County saw its unemployment rate rise to 9.1 percent in January, up from 7.9 percent in December and up from 5 percent in January 2008. Pinellas County's jobless rate rose to 9.5 percent from 8.2 percent in December and 5.1 percent a year ago.

Pasco County's unemployment rate hit 10.8 percent in January, up from 9.3 percent in December and 6.1 percent a year ago.

Florida lost an estimated 355,700 jobs between January and January 2008, a decrease of 4.5 percent of the state workforce. Construction again was the worst-hit industry, losing an estimated 90,800 jobs over the year, or 16.5 percent of its workforce.

Other hard-hit industries were transportation and warehousing, which lost 7.5 percent of its workforce, and manufacturing, which was down 7.8 percent.

Two industries that continue to buck the trend and add jobs are health and social assistance, which added 2.2 percent to its workforce, and educational services, which rose by 3.1 percent.

Reporter Michael Sasso can be reached at (813) 259-7865.

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