Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 3.6% in February, according to data released Friday by the Florida Department of Commerce. The figure represents a 0.1 percentage point increase from January and a 0.4-point rise over the year. The state reported 398,000 unemployed residents in a labor force of 11,196,000.
Despite the uptick, Florida’s unemployment rate remained below the national average, which reached 4.1% in February. Florida’s civilian labor force grew by 68,000 over the year, while the number of employed residents rose by 26,000, reflecting slower employment gains relative to labor force growth.
Total nonagricultural employment in the state was 10,024,100, an increase of 7,400 jobs, or 0.1%, from the previous month. Year-over-year, the state added 128,300 jobs, a 1.3% increase, slightly ahead of the national growth rate of 1.2%.
Job gains were reported across all ten major private industry sectors. Education and health services recorded the largest increase with 39,700 new jobs, representing 2.6% growth over the year. Within that sector, health care and social assistance accounted for 35,300 of the jobs added. Government employment followed, growing by 22,600 jobs, or 2%. Local government contributed the largest share of that growth with 14,000 additional jobs.
Trade, transportation and utilities added 20,600 jobs (+1%), with gains concentrated in wholesale trade (+6,700) and transportation, warehousing and utilities (+9,600). Retail trade, which makes up the largest share of this sector, grew by 4,300 jobs, or 0.4%.
Construction employment increased by 16,900 jobs, or 2.6%, driven by growth in specialty trade contractors. Other services rose by 8,700 jobs (+2.3%), and financial activities grew by 6,200 (+0.9%). Smaller gains were reported in leisure and hospitality (+4,300, +0.3%), manufacturing (+4,000, +0.9%), professional and business services (+3,500, +0.2%), and information (+1,900, +1.2%).
Within professional and business services, administrative and waste services shed 6,800 jobs over the year, offsetting gains in professional, technical, and management services. In leisure and hospitality, the accommodation and food services component was nearly flat year-over-year.
Eighteen of Florida’s 25 metro areas reported over-the-year job growth. The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metropolitan area added the most jobs with a gain of 30,500 (+2%). Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall followed with 24,200 jobs (+1.8%), while the Tampa metro division added 14,000 (+1.3%).
Employment declined in seven metro areas, including Naples-Marco Island (-1,500, -0.8%), St. Petersburg-Clearwater-Largo (-1,300, -0.3%), Cape Coral-Fort Myers (-700, -0.2%), and Sebastian-Vero Beach (-400, -0.7%).
County-level data not adjusted for seasonality showed Miami-Dade with the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 2.6%, followed by Monroe County at 2.7% and Wakulla County at 3.2%. Sumter County reported the highest unemployment rate at 6.8%, followed by Taylor County at 6.5% and Citrus County at 5.7%.
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