MORE ONLINE
See the employment rate in every Florida county at mypalmbeachpost. of $14 an hour and $375 a week in April, by far the lowest wages of any sector, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
Universit y of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith saw plent y of hiring in other industries.
“There’s growth in a variet y of sectors and not just the ones that t ypically have lower wages,” Snaith said.
Palm Beach County gained 20,600 posi- tions — and the county’s job growth wasn’t dominated by low-paying jobs. Professional and business services, with average pay of $1,076 a week, added 8,400 jobs. Two other sectors — education and health services and trade, transportation and utilities — added 2,800 jobs each.
“Our regional economy is continuing to thrive,” said Steve Craig, president and chief execu- tive of the nonprofit CareerSource Palm Beach County. His organization counts 21,325 job openings in the county.
Because the Great Recession hit harder in Florida than in other parts of the nation, economists said they were unconcerned that Florida’s unemployment rate is slightly above the national average.
“We’ve got a lot more damage to repair,” Snaith said.
Snaith and Teshome also saw hopeful signs in Florida’s job market. “Job growth really has broadened,” Teshome said.
Among Florida’s 67 counties, unemployment ranged from a low of 3.6 percent in Monroe Count y to a high of 7.2 percent in Citrus and Putnam counties.