Florida Jobless Rate Stays at 3.7 Percent

By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent in July, with a state economist saying demand remains high for workers.

“The number of job openings is up from the same point in the year before,” Jimmy Heckman, chief of workforce statistics and economic research at the Florida Department of Commerce, said Friday. “So, we are really seeing strong demand for labor, which will give opportunities to unemployed Floridians.”

The unemployment rate also was 3.7 percent in April, May and June. A monthly report released Friday by the Department of Commerce said 417,000 people qualified as unemployed in July, up 2,000 from June. The labor force increased by 3,000 to 11.196 million.

Florida’s jobless rate in July 2024 was 3.4 percent. The number of unemployed people increased by 35,000 from July 2024 to last month, while the labor force grew by 25,000, according to the Department of Commerce report.

Private-sector employment increased by 5,700 in July, after dropping by 21,000 jobs in June. Heckman said while “that’s something that we’re watching,” no industries have showed sharp declines.

“We’ve seen job growth decline one month and bounce back somewhat in the next month,” Heckman said. “So, we are going to continue to watch that, as we go forward.”

The national unemployment rate in July was 4.2 percent, up from 4.1 percent a month earlier.

Among broad categories listed in the Florida report, employment in the “financial activities” sector increased by 5,200 jobs in July. That category includes such things as finance, insurance and real-estate jobs. Employment in the “leisure and hospitality” sector increased by 1,600 jobs.

Meanwhile, employment in the construction sector dipped by 1,000 jobs, after declining by 1,600 positions in June, according to the report.

Across the state, the lowest unemployment rate in July remained in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area at 3.4 percent, up from 3.2 percent in June. Within that region, the rate in the Miami-Miami-Beach-Kendall area was at 2.8 percent.

The July rate was 3.9 percent in the Crestview-Fort-Walton Beach-Destin and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford areas.

The Panama City-Panama City Beach and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater regions were at 4.1 percent.

The Jacksonville area was at 4.2 percent. The Naples-Marco Island and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville areas were at 4.3 percent. TheTallahassee, Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent and North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota areas were at 4.4 percent.

The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area was at 4.5 percent, the Port St. Lucie area was at 4.6 percent, and the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach and Gainesville areas were at 4.7 percent.

The highest rate in the state was 7.1 percent in the metropolitan statistical area that includes The Villages and Wildwood. The area was at 6.9 percent in June.

The Homosassa Springs area was at 6.2 percent in July, the Sebring area was at 6 percent, and the Punta Gorda area was at 5.1 percent. The Ocala, Lakeland-Winter Haven and Sebastian-Vero Beach areas were at 5 percent.

The statewide rate is seasonally adjusted, while the metro rates are not adjusted.