Florida jobless rate holds steady for 6 straight months

First-time unemployment claims have increased Image via AP.

It’s been half a year now since the Florida general unemployment rate has changed, as the September jobless figure came in at 3.3% yet again.

FloridaCommerce reports that last month’s unemployment figure held steady and hasn’t seen an uptick since a modest 0.1-point increase in early Spring. It also means Florida’s monthly unemployment rate has remained below the national figure for 47 straight months. The national rate now stands at 4.1%.

State officials attribute Florida’s stable employment picture to enhanced job growth. September saw an increase of 175,600 jobs compared to September 2023.

“Florida’s private sector job growth continues to outpace the national average, with a growth rate of 2% over-the-year since September 2023, compared to the national rate of 1.4% over the same time period. Florida’s job creators continue to experience success, adding jobs in 50 of the last 53 months,” a FloridaCommerce news release said.

The hot job markets in the Sunshine State for September included education and health services which added 5,100 jobs over August. Construction saw an increase of 3,600 jobs in the state over the previous month. The total labor force in Florida, though, declined slightly by 12,000 jobs in September compared to the same month last year.

Weekly first-time unemployment claims have been relatively stable over the Summer with few upticks, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). But there was a wild spike in new jobless filings the week after Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast for the week ending Oct. 5.

That was quickly countered by the following week, when there was a sharp drop in the weekly initial employment filings. It’s not clear what impact Hurricane Milton will have on the employment outlook after it hit the state Oct. 9 and 10. The weekly DOL figures are expected to be published Thursday.

The Miami metro area had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in September at 2.1%. The Naples area had the highest jobless figure in Florida coming in at 3.7%.