Orlando metropolitan area–Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole–unemployment rate for December 2009 was 11.9 percent, unchanged from the previous month, the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) stated in a release today. This represents 131,386 persons jobless out of a labor force of 1,105,303. The unemployment rate is up 4.1 percent from December 2008, when the rate stood at 7.8 percent.
For the state as a whole, the jobless rate for December 2009 was 11.8 percent, representing slightly over one million people out of a labor force of 9.1 million. The unemployment rate is up 0.3 percentage points from the November rate of 11.5 percent and up 4.2 percent points from the December 2008.
“We recently launched the Florida Back to Work program and announced more than $7 million in grants to identify and retrain Floridians for green jobs. Innovative strategies like these strengthen our communities while creating much needed jobs and helping Floridians rejoin the workforce,” said AWI Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo.
Florida’s current unemployment rate is 1.8 percent points higher than the national unemployment rate of 10.0 percent. And December’s unemployment rate is the highest since May 1975 when it was 11.9 percent.
Industries losing the most jobs are construction; trade, transportation, and utilities; and professional and business services. These three industries account for approximately two-thirds of the job losses in the state. Health care has been Florida’s only growth sector for most of 2009.
Florida Back to Work Program
The Florida Back to Work Program is one of the state’s latest efforts to reinvigorate Florida’s economy by assisting both job seekers and employers. Announced last month, the partnership between the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, the Department of Children and Families, Workforce Florida Inc. and the state’s 24 Regional Workforce Boards will provide approximately $200 million in federal funding for up to 25,000 jobs for
Floridians who receive, or are eligible to receive, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
To date, businesses from around the state have submitted more than 850 proposals to their local Regional Workforce Boards to secure a portion of available funds. The initial Florida Back to Work grants will be awarded
on February 1, 2010. Participating employers will post job openings on the Employ Florida Marketplace at www.employflorida.com as positions become available.
Green Jobs Grants
AWI and several of the agency’s workforce partners have received Green Jobs grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to assist Floridians in getting back into the workforce. In November, the agency received a
$1.25 million federal grant to conduct a survey to define and classify the number of green jobs in Florida and the skills needed to fill those jobs. The agency is scheduled to begin the survey in March.
Workforce Connection received a $3 million Pathways Out of Poverty Green Jobs grant to implement the West Ocala Green Jobs Project, which will prepare 665 disadvantaged residents for certification and employment in
green jobs. Approximately 556 participants will be placed into jobs. The project will also create 150 new jobs and promote small business development.
The Broward County Minority Builders Coalition, which includes AWI’s workforce partner, Workforce One of Broward County, received a $3.2 million grant to train 1,000 workers in technologies that improve energy
efficiency and place participants in fields such as design and installation of solar energy panels and systems, weatherization of buildings and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
For more information on the Florida Back to Work program or the Green Jobs grants, please visit
www.floridajobs.org.
