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9.7% In Area Unemployed

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By MICHAEL SASSO

msasso@tampatrib.com

Published: March 7, 2009

TAMPA - The Bay area's unemployment rate is nearing double-digit levels, with 9.7 percent of the region's work force now jobless.

The local rate topped the Florida unemployment rate of 8.6 percent, both measured in January, as well as the national rate of 8.1 percent in February. The figures were released Friday.

Florida's rate hasn't been this high since September 1992, when it was 8.9 percent. For now, the Florida Economic Estimating Conference is projecting the state unemployment rate will peak at 10.2 percent in early 2010.

On Friday, some job seekers scanning an online job board at the Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance office were frustrated, but not enough to give up.

"I call back, but they keep saying I can't speak to anyone who does the hiring," said Louisa Jean-Charles, a certified nursing assistant and mother of two who has filled out at least eight job applications for nursing assistant jobs. "They say if they need you, they'll call."

Steven Lee, a 28-year-old former Marine deployed to Iraq three times, said he has a master's degree in medieval renaissance studies. He's been trying to land a part-time job at a retail store while he waits to start computer software design school, but suspects his master's degree is intimidating store managers.

"A lot of managers say I'm overqualified," he said.

Among local counties, Hillsborough County saw its unemployment rate rise to 9.1 percent in January, up from 7.9 percent in December and 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 2008 and January, a decrease of 4.5 percent in the state work force. Construction again was the worst-hit industry, losing an estimated 90,800 jobs over the year, or 16.5 percent.

Other hard-hit industries were transportation and warehousing, which lost 7.5 percent, and manufacturing, 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 work force, and educational services, which rose by 3.1 percent. Rebecca Rust, the state economist, said it is generally private education companies that are adding jobs.

Economists acknowledge that the state's unemployment estimates don't capture the true number of people out of work. The state's figures only include those people actively searching for work and do not include those who have given up looking, who are termed "discouraged workers." Based on recent historical precedent, if those discouraged workers were included in Florida's unemployment rate, the rate might be around 8.9 percent, Rust said.

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

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