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Area, state jobless rates stay flat
By DAVE GUSSOW The unemployment rate in the Tampa Bay area and the state remained basically unchanged in August, but the state says Florida's job market is still weak. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area reported a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, the same as July's, according to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. The state's seasonally adjusted rate dropped slightly to 5.3 percent from July's 5.4 percent. That meant 418,000 people were out of work. "Relative to other states, we're looking pretty good," said Warren May, communications director for the agency, noting that California reported a 6.2 percent rate, Texas 6.1 percent and New York 5.8 percent. "We were the only state to show positive job growth compared to a year ago, so we have some bright spots." Among the areas strongest for job growth were the services sector, local government and construction. The state manufacturing sector lost jobs, as did transportation, communications and public utilities. The bay area has lost about 5,400 jobs since August 2001, the most of the 16 metropolitan statistical areas, while Miami created about 7,600, the highest. Weak spots for the bay area included manufacturing, business services and hotel and other lodging. But May said anecdotal reports indicated bay area hotels "are rebounding much better than expected."
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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