Weekly unemployment claims drop to lowest levels in Florida all year

The final week of November saw a huge drop in jobless claims in Florida, marking the lowest figure of 2024.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) figures for the week ending Nov. 30 showed there were 3,759 first-time unemployment benefit claims. That’s a decline of 2,601 unemployment filings from the week ending Nov. 23, and it’s the fourth week in a row that Florida has seen declining claims.

The drop in unemployment claims over the past month comes after a brutal October, when first-time filings spiked to their highest number following two hurricane strikes in as many weeks.

Claims jumped to more than 8,000 for the week ending Oct. 5 after Hurricane Helene hit the Big Bend area on Sept. 26. After Hurricane Milton slammed the Gulf Coast Oct. 9, initial unemployment claims skyrocketed past 10,000 for the week ending Oct. 19, the highest figure for the year.

Initial weekly unemployment claims remained unusually high until the first week of November, when the jobs picture started to stabilize.

The latest figures for the week ending Nov. 30 not only show a continued drop, but it’s the lowest level for the entire year. While much of that may be due to the rebound from the hurricanes, the week ending Nov. 30 was also Thanksgiving week, meaning that holiday hiring was in full force as merchants prepared for a shopping onslaught.

The Florida figures for the week ending Nov. 30 were also in line with the national trend. DOL reports there were a total of 210,166 first-time jobless claims last week. That’s a drop of some 34,967 filings, or a 14.3% decline from the previous week before seasonal adjustments.

Florida’s general unemployment rate has remained at 3.3% for seven straight months. Florida has had a lower general unemployment rate compared to the national figure for 48 months. The national figure stands at 4.1%.