Florida’s new jobless claims drop for third straight week

New unemployment claims report in Florida fell for the third straight week, indicating a solid workplace recovery from two hurricanes that slammed Florida in September and October.

There were 6,013 first-time jobless filings in the Sunshine State for the week ending Nov. 16, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). That number is down by 647 claims from the previous week before seasonal adjustments.

The numbers reflect a stabilizing job market in Florida since Hurricanes Helene and Milton crashed into the Sunshine State two weeks apart.

Helene plowed into the Big Bend area on Sept. 26. The next week, there were more than 8,000 first-time unemployment claims in Florida, for the week ending Oct. 5.

While that figure declined to normal amounts the following week, Milton then hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Oct. 9. That led to the highest weekly new unemployment claim count this year.

There were more than 10,000 initial unemployment claims for the week ending Oct. 19. That figure dropped some the following week, but still remained higher than the normal figures seen this year, with 8,108 initial unemployment claims for the week ending Oct. 26.

Figures returned to more normal ranges for the week ending Nov. 2, and first-time filings have trailed off since.

The most recent weekly jobless claims report from the DOL also reflects the national trend. There were 213,035 new unemployment claims across the country for the week ending Nov. 16. That’s down by 17,750 claims from the week ending Nov. 9, or a 7.7% decline.

While October saw extreme fluctuations in new jobless claims in Florida, the state’s monthly general unemployment rate remained steady for October. FloridaCommerce released its monthly unemployment report for October on Nov. 15, which showed the jobless rate held steady at 3.3% for the seventh straight month. Florida also added 107,600 private sector jobs year-over-year compared to October 2023.

The state’s jobless figure has been below the national rate for 48 straight months. The unemployment rate across the nation has held steady at 4.1% for the past two months.