Drew Dixon
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.
7 comments
Dont Say FLA
May 17, 2024 at 1:13 pm
And it’s just gonna keep going up now that the theme parks are staffed up for the year with their minimum wage jobs that technically take minimum wage employees out of the unemployment pool but how many of them have to cram into one rental for them to sum their wages to one living wage?
Hung Wiil
May 17, 2024 at 1:27 pm
Douche.
Dont Say FLA
May 17, 2024 at 1:48 pm
Mr Lil, while the truth does hurt, there’s no need to take it personally and respond to it with personal attacks.
Impeach Biden
May 17, 2024 at 1:30 pm
You still working the drive up at Burger King? Seriously, Bidenomics, a term the White House staff no longer uses is beginning to have an effect on states like Florida, Texas, and South Carolina.
Dont Say FLA
May 17, 2024 at 1:47 pm
DId Biden withhold assistance from G0P Run States?
Or did G0P Run States stand their ground and refuse Biden’s assistance and that’s why their economies are still struggling?
Find a razor, I recommend Awkman’s, apply liberally, decide which of the above is the right one.
Dont Say FLA
May 17, 2024 at 2:01 pm
By the way, IBS, head on over to white house d0t c0m and read the May 1, 2024 briefing room statement “FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Continues to Call on Congressional Republicans and Internet Service Providers to Keep Americans Connected as the Affordable Connectivity Program Enters Final Month ”
Since you won’t do that, I’ll copy paste its first sentence here for ya:
“As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, a key component of Bidenomics, the Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress towards lowering costs…. “
Impeach Biden
May 17, 2024 at 2:28 pm
No thanks Don”t Say. My taxes are high enough already and now Joe wants me to pay for these Hamas supporters college loans, and of course we have nearly 8 million illegals that we have to take care of now.
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