Gov. Rick Scott announced last week that Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 8 percent during December, the lowest rate since November 2008.
“The changes we are making to improve our state’s business climate are helping Florida families pursue the American dream,” Scott said.
The state’s unemployment rate fell 3.1 percent since Scott took office, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office.
Sarah Hamersma, assistant professor for UF’s Department of Economics, said the decrease in the state’s unemployment rate follows a nationwide trend.
“Almost every state has had improvements in the last year,” she said.
Florida had the second largest drop in unemployment in the last year, behind Nevada, she said.
For 29 consecutive months, Florida has experienced positive annual job growth, according to the release.
With Florida home sales remaining strong and economic growth trends up across the state, consumer confidence in Florida is near a five-year high, according to UF’s Consumer Confidence Index.
By 2018, Florida is expected to create more than 900,000 new jobs, according to the Florida Economic Estimating Conference.
“I see it as a step to the country being on a better track,” said Giovanni Santoro, an 18-year-old UF mechanical engineering freshman. “I hope that it impacts the rest of the nation.”
