Gulf Coast adds 8,264 jobs

Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remains at 12%, representing 1,108,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 9,245,000. The rate is unchanged from November, but 0.3 percentage points higher than it was in December 2009, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

But excluding seasonal adjustments, Florida's unemployment rate has not changed over the past 12 months. The data shows a jobless of rate of 11.6% in both December 2010 and December 2009 prior to adjustment.

In fact, the Gulf Coast's job creators have managed to keep up with population growth over the past 12 months. The region's employers added 8,264 net jobs since December 2009.