Jim Rosica
Florida’s unemployment rate continues to drop slightly.
The August unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, compared with 5.5 percent in July.
The state added 19,600 jobs last month, according to figures released Friday by the Department of Economic Opportunity.
The jobless rate remains higher than the national rate of 5.1 percent with about 507,000 unemployed Floridians.
Gov. Rick Scott made the announcement at the headquarters of a Boca Raton electronic security company. He’s made job creation the main focus during his tenure.
National data shows Florida added the second highest number of jobs in the nation in August. California added more jobs than Florida did last month.
Monroe County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.7 percent. Hendry County had the highest jobless rate at 12.2 percent.
Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
