The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary this week, and several Florida metro areas are ranking high in jobs lost:
The Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice market recorded the fourth highest percentage drop in total employment nationwide for the past year.
Total employment dropped 3.7 percent in the 12 months ended in May.
Included within the top five were other areas on the west coast of Florida still feeling the hangover from the real estate and construction boom of the past five years: Cape Coral-Fort Myers at No. 2 with a 5.3 percent decline and Naples-Marco Island at No. 3 with a 4.6 percent decline in employment.
Topping the list is Flint, Mich., with a 6 percent decline — hit hard by layoffs in the automotive industry. Behind Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice was Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, Mich., with a 3.3 percent.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach were fourth and fifth on a list of areas losing the most jobs. The markets lost 20,300 and 16,500 jobs, respectively.
