Drew Dixon
Initial unemployment claims filed in Florida dropped slightly for the week ending Aug. 9.
The latest U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) report showed claims in Florida dipped by just 22. There were 6,230 initial jobless claims filed last week, down from the 6,252 new filings for the week ending Aug. 2.
It’s the fourth straight week of decreases in Florida. That’s the longest streak of decreases this Summer, which has otherwise been relatively unstable with sharp surges up and down.
There was an increase in new unemployment filings across America for the week ending Aug. 9. In total, 199,186 Americans filed claims. That’s up by 3,694 from the previous week, or a 1.9% uptick.
While that is an increase, DOL analysts had expected a more pronounced spike. DOL economists projected that there would be 6,577 additional new claims, which would have been a 3.4% hike.
National claims decreased in the year-over-year comparison, however. DOL officials say there were 200,845 initial claims for the comparable week in 2024, accounting for a modest decline of 1,659 filings.
While there have been some fluctuations in the new unemployment filing reports from week to week, Florida’s general unemployment rate has held steady for the past three months. The June figure for unemployed people in the Sunshine State was 3.7%. That hasn’t changed since April, according to FloridaCommerce, the state’s business development bureau.
While the state’s jobless figure has held steady in the past quarter, it’s still higher than a year ago. FloridaCommerce will likely release the unemployment rate for July within days. Florida has had a lower unemployment rate compared to the national figure, which is currently 4.2%, for 56 months in a row.
