Florida’s unemployment rate remains at 2.6 percent, fueling economic growth and job creation across industries

by | May 19, 2023



  • Florida’s unemployment rate for April was 2.6 percent, a decrease of 0.4 percent compared to the previous year.
  • Nine out of ten major industries in Florida experienced positive job growth year-over-year.
  • The Miami area saw a significant decrease in unemployment and added 42,500 new private-sector jobs.
  • Monroe County had the lowest unemployment rate at 1.4 percent, while Citrus County and Hendry County had the highest rates at 3.4 percent.

According to the latest figures released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday, the state’s unemployment rate for April stood at 2.6 percent. The reported figure represents a decline of 0.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

Of the major industries in Florida, nine out of ten saw positive job growth year-over-year. The sectors with the highest job gains included education and health services, leisure and hospitality, trade, transportation, and utilities, professional and business services, total government, financial activities, manufacturing, other services, and construction.

Out of a labor force of 10,960,000, there were 281,000 unemployed individuals in the state. In comparison, the national unemployment rate for April was 3.4 percent.

“Through strong economic policy and strategic investments, Florida is outperforming the nation and providing more opportunity for its citizens, resulting in more than 200,000 new business formations this year alone and an unemployment rate near an all-time low,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Miami area experienced a significant decrease in unemployment, with a rate of 1.8 percent in April, marking a 0.8 percent decrease from the previous year. The metro area also saw an increase in private sector jobs, adding 42,500 new positions, representing a 3.8 percent growth. Among the industries, trade, transportation, and utilities led in job gains, with an increase of 10,500 jobs over the year.

The Jacksonville metro region represented another low in regional unemployment rates with 2.3 percent for April, down 0.3 percentage points from the April 2022 rate of 2.6 percent.

Further, Tampa gained the most private sector jobs among all Floridian metro areas year-over-year, growing by 54,800 jobs over the year, an increase of 4.2 percent.

In terms of local unemployment rates, Monroe County boasted the lowest rate in the state at 1.4 percent, followed by Miami-Dade County and Gulf County, St. Johns County, and Okaloosa County, each with a rate of 2.0 percent.

Citrus and Hendry counties recorded the highest unemployment rates at 3.4 percent, followed by Highlands County at 3.3 percent, and Gadsden, Hamilton, Hardee, Putnam, and Sumter counties, each with a rate of 3.1 percent.

1 Comment

  1. dmmorrison

    If DeSantis continues with his anti-business crusade, all this economic good news will soon evaporate.

 

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