Governor Scott said, “The creation of more than 21,000 new jobs in the Jacksonville area means families are able to achieve their dreams in Northeast Florida. We have cut taxes 55 times since 2010, saving $5.5 billion for families and job creators, and we will keep working to cut taxes so businesses can create even more valuable jobs throughout Florida.”
 
The industries with the highest job growth over the year in the Jacksonville area were leisure and hospitality with 4,500 new jobs; trade, transportation, and utilities; and education and health services, both with 4,300 new jobs. In March, the Jacksonville area rounded out the top five metros in the state for job demand, featuring 20,897 job openings. The area also ranked fifth for high-wage, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs with 5,570 online job openings.
 
Since 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,061,700 new jobs. Florida businesses created 225,300 private-sector jobs over the year in March, exceeding the nation’s private-sector job growth rate for the fourth consecutive year. Florida’s statewide unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent in March, while 39,029 Floridians were placed in jobs by CareerSource Northeast Florida and the state’s other 24 regional workforce boards. 
 
To view the March 2016 employment data visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.