Boasting 17 months of consecutive growth, Florida’s job market continues to outpace the rest of the nation.

Despite a time of economic uncertainty, Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Friday that Florida’s economy continues to thrive amidst the backdrop of the pandemic. According to data released by the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), Florida’s economy accelerated for the month of September, growing at three times the rate over the month compared to the nation.

Last month, the Sunshine State gained 84,500 total jobs, including nearly 73,000 private-sector jobs — a growth Florida has only experienced four other times in the past 30 years. Florida also experienced 11 consecutive months of labor force increases, adding 50,000 workers over the month.

“While the entire nation gained 194,000 jobs in September, Florida gained 84,500 jobs in the same month – we are outpacing the nation in job growth and job opportunities because businesses know that Florida will stand up for them,” said DeSantis. “Despite tremendous national headwinds and economic uncertainty, Florida has reached a level of job growth only seen on four other occasions in the past 30 years. We will continue to work hard to keep Florida open, free and built for opportunity.”

Additionally, Florida’s unemployment rate of 4.9 percent for September dropped 0.1 percentage point from August. DEO noted in their report that the state continues to see substantial increases in labor force compared to the nation, with the state continuing to see consistent labor force gain thanks to the state’s economy offering new employment opportunities.

DEO also highlighted Florida’s year-to-year momentum, with the state’s labor force increasing by 540,000 over the year, with 423,000 of that increase occurring in the last 6 months. Florida’s labor force growth represents a 5.4 percentage increase over-the-year, which is significantly higher than the national rate of 0.8 percent.

Florida’s unemployment rate has lowered since the height of the pandemic, decreasing by 2.3 percentage points. September data also indicates that many job opportunities are still available statewide, with more than 520,000 jobs posted online.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida is seeing positive economic signs that indicate our state’s economy has recovered quickly and successfully,” said Secretary Dane Eagle of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. “Florida continues to provide meaningful job opportunities for individuals moving to our state and entering our labor force. With our unemployment rate decreasing and labor force increasing, we will work to further this great success by making investments that continue to strengthen our economy and increase our state’s resiliency.”

To view the September 2021 employment data, click here.