Florida’s new unemployment claims drop for fifth time out of 6 past weeks

Image via AP.

Florida’s first-time unemployment claims are dropping again, which has been the trend in the Sunshine State for most of this Summer, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

In five out of the last six weeks, Florida’s initial unemployment filings have dropped from week to week. Such was the case for the most recent week ending July 20, before seasonal adjustments. There were 6,833 first-time jobless filings last week in Florida, a dip of 1,222 from the week ending July 13.

Last week’s report showed those claims increasing, an aberration in otherwise falling numbers over the past month and a half.

The Florida first-time weekly unemployment claims reflected the national trends. Across the U.S., there were 225,090 initial claims seeking unemployment benefits for the week ending July 20. That’s 19.8% drop nationally before seasonal adjustments for the week.

Prior to June, the weekly jobless claims had fluctuated throughout much of this year. But the Summer trend of more stable figures reflects Florida’s larger, general unemployment picture.

The June general unemployment figure for the state came in at 3.3% when the numbers were released last week by the Florida Department of Commerce (DOC). June was the third straight month of an unchanged unemployment rate. The Miami area had Florida’s lowest unemployment rate for any region, at a 2.7% rate.

As with the weekly first-time jobless filings, the general monthly unemployment rate in Florida is on the same trajectory with lower numbers than national figures. Florida’s unemployment rate remains lower than the national rate, which is 4.1%. It’s the 44th straight month that Florida’s jobless figures have been lower than the rate across America.