Local unemployment rate increases in January

The unemployment rate in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota metro area increased in January, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday, but jobs numbers continue to improve over previous years, and the local economy continues to recover after the last recession.

The number of those looking for work outpaced the number of new jobs locally December to January, which nudged the jobless rate from 5.7% to 6.1%. The construction sector shed 400 jobs and the trade, transportation and utilities industries shrunk by 900 jobs in the same timeframe.

But, this year begins the strongest in terms of employment data in more than five years.

The unemployment rate in January has declined each year in the local metro area from 2010, when it sat at a decade-high 12.8% after the implosion of the housing industry. The jobless rate declined 23% this January over the same month the previous year.

The latest unemployment figures in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota metro area match the statewide numbers, but stay below the 6.5% rate in the nearby Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area.