Phil Ammann
Florida is currently enjoying the highest job growth since the Great Recession of 2008, according to a new study from nonpartisan watchdog group Florida TaxWatch.
In the annual report on employment activity, the Sunshine State added 230,000 nonfarm jobs in 2014, making the state’s four-year nonfarm employment total to 710,200. This four-year increase equates to a 9.9 percent job growth rate.
Florida’s strongest year-over-year job growth numbers came from December 2013 to December 2014, the third largest in the nation behind Texas and California.
Sound fiscal and regulatory policy are two factors that help Florida outpace the rest of the nation in job growth, says former U.S. Senator George LeMieux, Chair of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Competitive Florida.
“But the story goes beyond just job creation,” he added. “Now, Florida is creating jobs across a broad spectrum of industries and we are building a more vibrant and resilient economy.”
Market segments with the fastest growing Florida jobs, the report found, were Professional and Business Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Construction. Retail Trade, the largest job creator in 2013, came in fourth in the most recent survey.
Florida TaxWatch CEO Dominic Calabro said targeted investments by the state’s policymakers are beginning to pay dividends for all Floridians, namely in the form of high-paying job growth.
“Florida’s economy is rebounding successfully from the recession,” Calabro said. “And one of the largest indicators of our economy’s growth is the consistent addition of high-wage jobs.”
“For the first time in four years, all sectors of the Florida economy added jobs, and our state’s unemployment rate finally matches the national average,” he added. “Floridians should be optimistic about jobs in 2015.”
The latest Florida TaxWatch Economic Commentary is now available online.
