Private-sector job growth dips in Florida

Florida added 18,100 private-sector jobs in July, 2.5 percent fewer than the 18,560 jobs added a year ago, according to payroll firm ADP. Only Texas added more jobs during the month, 22,200.

The largest number of jobs, 5,100, were added in business and professional services; 2,300 jobs in trade, transportation and utilities; 1,000 in construction and mining; and 700 in manufacturing.

ADP numbers are not broken down regionally. In South Florida, Broward and Palm Beach counties have been gaining the most jobs in business and professional services in recent months, according to Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

The July dip isn’t of much concern to analysts, who look for at least threemonth job trends. Florida has been outpacing national job growth since May 2012. Also, ADP numbers don’t include public-sector jobs and are not seasonally adjusted, as they are tallied from actual payrolls.

Official counts for state job creation in July, which also will include government and other public-sector jobs, are scheduled to be released on Aug. 18 by the state.

Nationally, 178,000 private-sector jobs were added in July, below analysts’ expectations. That compared with 229,344 a year ago, according to ADP’s National Employment Report released Aug. 2

ADP’s employment reports, produced in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics, measure changes in regional and state private employment each month.