Jobless rate declines again

Unemployment might be down, both nationally and in the state, but a substantial increase in government hiring in Tallahassee may be clouding the issue.

Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 11.7% through May, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The latest number is 0.3 percentage points lower than April's 12% rate, which marks the second consecutive monthly decline for the state.

The most recent rate is representative of 1,086,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,272,000, a release said.

But an analysis of the latest state numbers by industry is not so encouraging.

The hardest hit industries in the last month have been construction (down 31,900, a 9.8% decrease), financial activities (-22,700, -4.7%), leisure and hospitality (-21,400, -2.3%), and manufacturing (-14,700, -4.5%).

Government (38,800 new jobs, a 3.5% increase) and health care and social assistance (+25,600, +2.8%) were the biggest gainers.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area was the state's second-hardest hit in May, when the area lost 15,100 jobs. Only Miami lost more.

Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate fell as well, down to 9.7% for May. The U.S. Department of Labor also reported that first time unemployment compensation benefits fell for the third straight month.