New jobless claims in Florida drop for the week ending Sept. 21

Furloughed Or Redundant Employees Sent Home. Temporary Shutdown Causing Layoffs From Economy Or Coronavirus - 3d Illustration

Following a rare increase in new unemployment claims earlier this month, Florida returned to its general trend the past few months with a decrease for the week ending Sept. 21.

The drop in unemployment insurance claims for the week ends the Summer like most weeks during the season, with a drop in first-time claims. But the most recent report is a slight rebound from the report for the week ending Sept. 14, when there was an uptick.

There were 6,280 initial unemployment filings last week in Florida, before seasonal adjustments. That represents a drop by 416 filings from the previous week, when there were 6,696. That week, ending Sept. 14, was the only week in September that saw a jump in jobless claims.

Florida’s drop in initial unemployment claims reflected the national trend, which also saw a reduction in filings for the week ending Sept. 21. Across the country, there were 180,878 first-time unemployment insurance benefit claims for the week. That’s a drop of 5,957, or a 3.2% decrease.

The Florida figures come as yet another general monthly unemployment report showed the Sunshine State’s jobs picture remains stable and did not budge at all through Summer. The monthly jobless report issued about a week ago by Florida Commerce showed the state maintained its 3.3% unemployment rate in August. That’s the same jobless rate the state has seen for five straight months.

The Florida unemployment figure has remained below the national unemployment rate — now at around 4.2% — for 46 straight months.

In addition, the monthly Florida general jobless report showed there is notable job growth in the state.

“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 Florida Commerce news release said.