Florida’s unemployment rate for August was 3.3%, holding steady for fifth straight month

First-time unemployment rate claims went down for the week in Florida.

Florida’s monthly unemployment rate didn’t budge for all of Summer, as the latest FloridaCommerce report for August shows the state is holding steady at a 3.3% jobless rate.

Florida has shown no change in the unemployment figure since Spring. FloridaCommerce officials also say job growth increased in the state for August.

“Private sector job growth continues to surpass the national average, with a growth rate of 2.1% over the year since August 2023, compared to the national rate of 1.4% over the same time period. This success is attributed to Florida’s strategic investments in workforce education and development, driving high-demand, high-wage jobs that benefit both job seekers and employers,” a FloridaCommerce news release said.

The job growth isn’t just a recent development, either. State officials say there has been positive job growth in Florida in 50 of the last 52 months.

“Under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership, Florida’s economy and workforce continue to strengthen,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly.

“In 2019, Governor DeSantis committed to making Florida number one in workforce education by 2030, and Florida has got its homework done early, earning the No. 1 ranking for talent development in 2022 and 2023 by Lightcast, (labor market and statistics analysts) and investing more than $8.5 billion in discretionary workforce education and job training investments, fueling high-skill, high-wage job growth, building a successful and diverse economy that will benefit Floridians for generations to come.”

The leisure and hospitality industry was one of the industries that saw the most expansion in August. The number of workers at hotels and associated tourist outlets increased by 7,300 in August alone, a 0.6% increase over July. Education and health services also saw a jump in jobs, rising by 3,900 in the state.

The Miami metro area, the most populous areas in the state, recorded the lowest unemployment rate in August. Miami had a 3.1% unemployment rate, a 1.1-percentage-point increase from August 2023, but a 0.7-point drop from the July number.

Fort Lauderdale registered a 3.5% monthly jobless figure in August, up slightly from July’s rate of 3.3%.

Orlando came in with a 3.6% unemployment rate in August.

The regions of Southwest Florida, Tampa, Jacksonville and the Pensacola area all had an August unemployment rate of 3.7%.

The Palm Beach area saw the highest unemployment rate among large metro areas in August, with a 3.8% jobless figure.

Florida’s August unemployment numbers continue a streak of the state having a lower jobless figure than the national rate for 46 straight months.