Florida's unemployment rate for January 2014 was 6.1 percent, down from 6.2 percent in December. The numbers were announced by Governor Rick Scott this morning in Orlando. In a release, Scott's office noted that 503,500 private sector jobs have been created in the state since Dec. 2010.
Payroll provider ADP reported that the state added 11,610 private sector jobs in January and 10,840 additional jobs during the month of February. ADP's survey is separate from the one conducted by government agencies.
Scott has contended the state's unemployment rate is dropping due to his policies. State economists have said a big reason for the decline is that people are leaving the labor force or have delayed their job search.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
