Tampa Bay's jobless rate is worse than state's

For the past three months, finding a new job has been top-of-mind for Mike Mader, an unemployed marketing executive in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, in May and June the Tampa Bay area led the state in job losses, with 23,100 positions evaporating over the past year.

So Mader, 54, is still on the hunt, trying to tap contacts for job suggestions without appearing desperate. "I've had more interviews from networking than from applying on the Internet,'' he said. "If you don't tell people, they can't help you."

Mader is hardly alone. Unemployment in the bay area hit 5.9 percent in June, higher than the state and national levels. It reflects a rise in the local jobless rate from 5.6 percent in May and 4.2 percent in June 2007.

The unemployment rates for Florida and the United States both stood at 5.5 percent in June, with the national rate the same as May's and Florida's rate up 0.1 percent. In June 2007, Florida's jobless rate was 4 percent, below the national figure of 4.6 percent.

Florida led the nation with the largest over-the-month decrease in total job numbers in June. Over the past year, the state has lost 78,100 jobs. More than half of those were in construction.

Joe Badalamenti, manager of the Hillsborough office of Manpower Inc., said plenty of construction workers have showed up at his staffing company. But he's also beginning to see people laid off from once-secure government jobs. Ironically, deep cuts at some municipal offices are leading to orders for temporary help through companies like Manpower.

"But when a job comes up, there are four times as many candidates as in the past," Badalamenti said. "We're just hoping to see a slight upturn in employment by year end."

10.3 percent

Florida's highest unemployment rate: Hendry County

3.4 percent

Florida's lowest unemployment rate: Walton County

>>fast facts

Job crunch

Unemployment rates in west-central Florida:

Hernando: 7.5 percent

Citrus: 7.2 percent

Pasco: 6.8 percent

Hillsborough: 5.7 percent

Pinellas: 5.5 percent

Tampa Bay metro area:

5.9 percent

Source: Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation

Comments on this article

by Sal	Jul 20, 2008 11:10 PM
Protect yourself through training and initiative. I'm amazed how many posters want the nanny state to do "something". Well the fact is that "something" costs money. Are you willing to have your taxes raised to cast a wider saftey net? I'm not!

by John Hater	Jul 20, 2008 11:10 PM
So far in 2007, this Pelosi led Congress has passed ZERO spending bills. Why? Because your an idiot John who does not have his facts correct. The nearly eight years of the whitehouse and congress control has ruined the USA! I am republican John!

by JH	Jul 20, 2008 8:20 AM
Oh those greedy corp's, waaaah! Everyone acts in their own self interest. It's the only thing you can count on. It's the basis for our 3 headed gov't. It's why we lead the world in innovation and patents. The profit motive creates a greater good.

by John	Jul 20, 2008 8:00 AM
Fla is the slave labor state always has been. The USA spends $60 billion on prisons and $10 billion on education. Florida's schools have always been horrid as I also went to school in VA what a vast difference. Three strikes minimum mandatory nonsens

by Jim	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
City annexation in Pinellas is causing the job losses. Companies find after they are annexed by tax hungry cities they are forced to leave the county due to sky high city franchise fees.

by duane	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
Stop the illegal aliens now. Fine (and perhaps jail)employers and landlords who help them. NO AMNESTY!!!

by terry	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
And the sad part is that these stats are so flawed and massaged as to be ridiculous...the real unemployment rate is double that published..the govt just says what it wants us to hear...

by John	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
Bush's Fault??? How about the do nothing Democratic-controlled Congress with an approval rating of only 18%. At least Bush is at 29%. So far in 2007, this Pelosi led Congress has passed ZERO spending bills. Why?

by aj	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
There is only one problem. Everyone wants to blame someone. This is a very sad commentary. Suck it up and get to work, or develop more skills to make jobs easier to find. Kim we have been in Japan and Germany for 50+plus years read a book or zipit

by Houston	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
Kim, We have also been an Afganistan since the Russians left.

by Lene	Jul 19, 2008 8:15 AM
I've lived in this state for over thirty years. I have seen this state become a place that is affordable to live, to a state many people can't wait to leave. Thank you Repubs. You so love corporate america.

by Vince	Jul 19, 2008 8:14 AM
Fearmongers. Look at the headline. Bad. Read the article. Bad. Well, not so bad if you read the very last sentence. 50% of jobs lost were constructions job? 50% of past growth was construction! But, not news if you tell the story that way.

by Len	Jul 19, 2008 8:14 AM
Correction Florida's economy was #1 among the States during Jeb's tenure ; it now is in last place . Not Jebby my friends ! Seek the truth !

by Dan	Jul 19, 2008 8:14 AM
Let me see if I got this right: We need the state in job losses but have the most expensive downtown parking for employees? America Next Great City? Yeah right!

by Dan	Jul 19, 2008 7:12 AM
Wow, only 23,100 sufewring souls, at least our governor is having a good time in London. Let them eat cake.

by Carol	Jul 19, 2008 7:11 AM
Where's Crist? Oh yeah, he's somewhere off with his "girlfriend" and we're paying $1800.00 a night for his hotel room. Enjoy, Crist - you idiot.

by con	Jul 18, 2008 4:50 PM
If we reduced the pay of incompetent CEO'S we may be able to prevent layoffs. Greed is a wonderful feeling for the GREEDY but painful for those that do not have this mental GREED EFFECT

by frankie	Jul 18, 2008 4:37 PM
Florida has been a Pyramid Scheme for years. All phoney things come to an end eventually.

by Allan	Jul 18, 2008 4:34 PM
For a fighting labor movement that organizes all workers, employed and unemployed alike. Jobs for all. Shorten work week at no loss in pay. Bring back welfare and triple it. Jobs or income now.

by joe	Jul 18, 2008 1:56 PM
if I owned a company I would outsource too. It's too expensive to do business in the US anymore. I blame this mostly on lawyers and unions. It's a global economy and we aren't ready to compete.

by Horizon Looks Bright	Jul 18, 2008 1:55 PM
It's only temporary. With the heavy rain we have been encountering, there will be plenty of work mowing and weed-wacking.

by David	Jul 18, 2008 1:41 PM
The problem is Republican (Crist/McCain/Bush) voodoo economics. They could care less about anyone but big business.

by sue	Jul 18, 2008 1:39 PM
HURRAH!! Steve, you are SOOOO right, why is the pix of a couple of mexicans?? isn't this America, should we be MOST concerned that our citizens don't have employment. i wish we could focus on Americans!!!!

by LadyDove	Jul 18, 2008 1:35 PM
2300 jobs lost in the past year -- & how many of those were due to local businesses outsourcing jobs to India? Where are our state politicians? Why are they not investigating what's causing the losses? Why is the gov parading around Europe?

by Gilbert	Jul 18, 2008 12:31 PM
Just think, the Mayor (Baker) recently returned from an overseas trip promoting trade and jobs! He could have kept his rearend here and performed damage control, couldn't he? Make Howard Troxlers' Jabil segment even more telling doesn't it?

by Steve	Jul 18, 2008 12:31 PM
Throw out ALL the ILLEGAL immigrants and only hire USA citizens. When all the US citizens that want to work are hired, then and only then allow immigrants in for specific jobs. NO AMNESTY! We did it once before and were promised never again.

by Kim	Jul 18, 2008 12:31 PM
Russia was in Afganistan for ten years and they bellied-up. We have been in Iraq only five years and we are belling up. You put them in office. I guess Charlie is in England to find Fla some jobs. Yes, finding jobs.

by Kee	Jul 18, 2008 12:30 PM
Put people back to work making solar panels & other forms of energy, circulate our $ back into our own economy & lowered our dependency on other countries not invested in us. Tax breaks to break us down and build up others? McChennyBush retard idea!

by Kim	Jul 18, 2008 12:30 PM
The Bushs have so much money they can't spend it fast enought. They will never go hungry or without. I bet they have don't cook or shop or even put their own clothes out for the day. They create jobs to have people pull their baths. Silly me.

by LDH	Jul 18, 2008 12:29 PM
The rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. What country do we live in again? Hope you are having a good time in Europe Gov. Crist and the soon-to-be First Lady because pretty soon there won't be tax dollars for you to spend.

by raymond	Jul 18, 2008 12:13 PM
let?s see whose going out of business? day job comp,construction,lawn,and landscape.The same people that allowed the Mexicans to come here and take jobs?only thing I see wrong is that there are still Mexicans working and Americans don't holdthesejobs

by Max	Jul 18, 2008 12:13 PM
And the more illegal immigrants pour into the area the higher the unemployment rate will climb.

by Ray	Jul 18, 2008 12:10 PM
Whether the result of Jeb! or "W" - all Bush's fault regardless.

by Ron	Jul 18, 2008 12:10 PM
And you are just now realizing this?

by Jeff	Jul 18, 2008 12:09 PM
Let's keep sending those jobs overseas - hope they watch a lot of TV and drink a lot of Coke in India - I was raised to believe that "profit" was not a bad word, but come on! Huge tax breaks to greedy corporations aren't a long-term solution for us..