Low-paying hospitality leads Orlando’s May job growth

Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in May — the lowest rate since August 2007 and down two-tenths of a percentage point from April, according to a state announcement.

The Orlando area continued to lead the state in number of jobs created over a 12-month period, adding 47,800 new private-sector jobs. The biggest sector of local job growth was leisure and hospitality, which added 14,700 jobs in the past 12 months. That category only pays an average of $26,409 annually, which is just below poverty level for a family of four.

Orlando also added about 9,700 jobs in professional and business services, and 9,300 jobs in trade, transportation and utilities.

The unemployment rate in Orlando was 3.6 percent, down 0.6 of a percentage point from a year ago. Florida businesses created nearly 22,000 private-sector jobs in May, bringing the total number of new jobs added since December 2010 to 1,377,100.

Statewide industries gaining the most jobs over 12 months were: professional and business services with 52,900 new jobs; leisure and hospitality with 34,900 new jobs; education and health services with 34,400 new jobs; construction with 31,000 new jobs; and trade, transportation and utilities with 30,900 new jobs.

Florida’s annual private-sector job growth rate, which is 3 percent, has exceeded the nation’s rate, which is 1.8 percent, for 62 consecutive months.

Gov. Rick Scott made the announcement at Dusobox, an Orlando box and packaging manufacturer that employs 78 people and has created about 20 new jobs in the last year, the state said.

Scott used the announcement to highlight $85 million put into the budget recently for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. That occurred after a pitched political battle with the Legislature that dragged on for months. The goal is to provide incentives that promote public infrastructure and individual job training to encourage more businesses to grow and invest in Florida.