Labor Dept.: Florida tops in lost jobs

MIAMI, July 19 (UPI) -- Florida had more lost jobs during the last year than any other U.S. state with a total of 78,100 jobs, U.S. Department of Labor figures show.

The Miami Herald said Saturday that the growing number of lost jobs in Florida was likely due to increases in the cost of living in the southern state, along with a declining number of housing sales.

In comparison, Texas was among the top states on the list thanks to an additional 245,000 jobs statewide.

Construction industry jobs were the worst hit during the last year in Florida with 81,600 jobs being eliminated statewide.

That loss of jobs in the state was made up for with a slight increase in the number of Florida government and healthcare jobs, the Herald said.

University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith told the newspaper that during the next year, unemployment in Florida would likely increase given the current economic woes across the United States.

"I think it's going to continue to drift up through the middle of 2009,'' the Orlando official said.