Florida’s unemployment rate ticks up to 3.3% in April

The Florida unemployment rate crept up to 3.3% in April.

Florida’s unemployment rate saw an uptick in April compared to March, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Commerce.

The Sunshine State April jobless rate came in at 3.3%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to March. It’s the same increase seen in March when compared to the February unemployment rate.

While there was a slight increase in Florida’s unemployment rate, the state’s jobless figure remains well below the national rate. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that the April unemployment rate across America was 3.9%, which was an increase compared to the March mark of 3.8%.

Florida has not had an unemployment rate higher than the national figure for 42 consecutive months. That dates back to November 2020 during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly seized on the upbeat unemployment news and credited fellow Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for the solid employment environment in the state.

“Thanks to Gov. DeSantis’ investments in workforce education, infrastructure and Florida’s overall financial readiness, Florida is now a state with significant growth in high wage, high demand, high tech and manufacturing jobs, even compared to just five years ago,” Kelly said in a prepared statement.

“Florida’s private sector job growth and business growth is reflective of our state increasingly meeting the needs of job creators in numerous high-growth, high-demand sectors, giving Florida families tremendous opportunities to elevate themselves and their families.”

Despite the nominal increase in unemployment rate, Florida saw some good news in the job market last month. Private sector jobs saw an annual increase of 2.5% in April, a jump by 210,900 workers compared to April 2023.

On a monthly comparison the trade, transportation, and utilities sector saw the most jobs added, up 14,900 workers in April over March. That’s a 0.7% hike.

Miami had the lowest unemployment figure for large metropolitan areas in Florida, with a 2.1% jobless rate in April. But that was a slight increase from the March figure of 2%.

The Tampa and Fort Myers areas each had an unemployment rate of 3.3% in April. Jacksonville and Pensacola were just behind that figure, with a 3.2% jobless rate. And Fort Lauderdale had a 3.1% unemployment rate last month.