The latest jobs report shows that there were 148,970 people working in Leon County in May, which is 23 more than last month. The May unemployment rate came in at 4.5%, down from the 4.7% reported last month. One year ago the May, 2020 unemployment rate was 9.0%. In May, 2019 the unemployment rate was 2.9%.
Due to the COVID pandemic, 2020 job comparisons are not as meaningful as comparisons to 2019 job data. Therefore, the Leon County Jobs Report, provided below, includes 2019 data.
The number of people working in May 2021 was 148,997. This is 619 less than those working in May 2019, but is approximately 16,900 more than in May 2020.
The labor force – those looking for jobs – came in at 156, 002, which was 1,933 greater than the number reported in May 2019.
At the state-level, 107,000 jobs were added in May when compared to April 2021. The May unemployment rate decreased to 5.0% from the 5.2% reported in April.
The chart below shows the monthly level of jobs in Leon County over the last 37 months with a 12-month average trend line. The highlighted numbers relate to employment levels for the month of May back to 2018.
Leon County Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.5% added by Staff on
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It’s great that some jobs are back, but not paying enough so most people can pay the rent and certainly not buy a house.
I recently spoke with sellers who routinely got over asking–and it’s sometimes thousands over asking.
You can’t afford to make it on the average salary people are paying.
Under normal circumstances, yes, employers pay into the Florida Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund via the Florida Reemployment Tax. If an employee separates from the employer and qualifies for Unemployment benefits it will impact the past employer in their future Reemployment Tax Rate calculation.
However, this plandemic changed all that. Florida taxpayers are now on the hook for the tsunami of federal money printing providing billions more dollars to states, including Florida, to pay for these additional benefits via their Unemployment Insurance Trust Funds. The recent Florida legislative session lowered the impact on employers, rightfully so, who would normally face an increase in tax rates through no fault of their own to make whole these additional benefits paid out from this Trust Fund. Florida will move additional revenues from other sources into the Trust Fund to make it whole. In other words, Florida taxpayers are paying for these additional benefits not Florida employers.
This is the right thing to do for our employers because this plandemic was a wrecking ball to our businesses brought about by a wholly corrupt system of governance and health care in this country. Also, the right thing to do is cut benefits to folks to get them back in the workforce and stop paying this fraudulent Universal Basic Income being pushed by the lunatic left. If this is not done than the illegal invaders will gladly take these jobs. But maybe that’s the intent?
Thanks Tony… seems I touched a nerve with Daisy. Or perhaps her benefits ran out and its time to look for a job. The two words DemoKKKrats fear most… “You’re hired”
Tony, the $600 a week ended on July 25, 2020. It went to $300 after that. Florida pays near the bottom on Unemploment benefits at $275 a week. Many didn’t even get that, as gig workers, or low paid employees. It would have been a disaster to have people solely rely on state benefits. Do you know what city recently came in dead last on pay wages in the country? Orlando came in #50 out of 50. Other FL cities were at the bottom of the pay scale, as well. FL has a high cost of living, with low pay. Dropping half a million FL Unemployed off a cliff before kids get back in school, helps no one, and cuts several hundred million dollars out of the economy. All for a political stunt.
@ Daisy = Try again. That $600 a WEEK is paid by everyone. Thank our Gov for ending that.
With just about every restaurant in Tallahassee having a now hiring sign up it’s pretty sad only 23 ‘new’ jobs were added in May. Hopefully the hiring will pick up this fall when students are back on campus.
Edward, Unemployment benefits are paid by employers, not you. Federal Unemployment benefits have been cut off. Were you grousing about 3 rounds of PPP, or the Restaurant Revitalization Grant, or only just FL citizens trying to get on their feet during a Global Pandemic?
These numbers are questionable and/or manipulated at best. Two points if I may…
1. These jobs are not “added”, they are “recovered”. There is a difference.
2. There remains an awful lot of folks still living on our dime and an awful lot of “Help Wanted” signs posted around town.