More jobs in Fort Lauderdale were lost last month as the state's unemployment rate began to decline.

Although the latest Ft. Lauderdale unemployment rate has not yet been released, Florida's unemployment rate decreased from 11.7 percent to 11.4 percent in June, keeping it above the national average of 9.5 percent. Ft. Lauderdale had an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent during May.

The Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach area had a total non-farm employment of 696,400 workers during June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 706,000 workers during May and a 1.5 percent decrease from last year.

Five industries managed to see a monthly increase in employment during June, including: construction by 300 jobs; manufacturing by 200 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities by 100 jobs; leisure and hospitality by 100 jobs; and other services by 200 jobs.

Only four industries added jobs when compared to last June. The other services industry grew the most, increasing by 2.2 percent to 32,000 jobs. The education and health services industry rose by 1.3 percent to 94,900 jobs.

The government industry increased by 1.1 percent over the year for a total of 97,400 workers, while the professional and business services industry grew by .9 percent for a total of 113,000 jobs.

Although it added jobs on a monthly basis, the construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year, losing 14 percent of its workforce between June 2009 and June 2010 for a current total of 32,500 jobs.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

• Information by 8.7 percent
• Financial activities by 6.5 percent
• Leisure and hospitality by 2.6 percent
• Manufacturing by 2.3 percent
• Trade, transportation and utilities by .8 percent

Labels: Jobs in Fort Lauderdale