We may not be out of the weeds when it comes to the availability of jobs in Tampa just yet, but news like this is pretty reassuring and indicative of the marked improvement in Florida's overall economy. On Tuesday, the state posted figures comparing its number of officially unemployed workers in June 2011 to June 2012.
The difference? A decline from 983,797 unemployed in 2011 to 795,432 in June 2012. That's 88,365 fewer people, a 19.15 percent decrease on Florida's unemployment roster between these 12 months according to a new On Numbers analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
In comparison to the rest of the U.S., this is the second highest state decrease in unemployment numbers over the past year.
California and Oklahoma take top honors when it comes to these figures. California cut its number of unemployed workers by 212,700 in the same year-long period while Oklahama boasted the highest percentage decrease with a 20.8 percent decrease in officially unemployed workers.
More than 12.5 million American workers remain unemployed according to this mid-year analysis, but it's a marked improvement from a figure over 14 million just a year ago.
Here's to slow, but steady progress when it comes to jobs in Tampa and, in the larger picture, Florida and the nation as a whole.
