Jobless Claims Up After Holidays

By The News Service of Florida

First-time unemployment claims increased in Florida as the state emerged from the end-of-year holiday period. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,827 unemployment claims were filed by Floridians last week, up from a revised count of 4,205 during the week that ended Jan. 3.

During the first three weeks of December, Florida had an average of 5,663 claims a week. The number dropped to 3,322 during the week that included Christmas. Nationally, 198,000 claims were filed last week, down from 207,000 during the week that ended Jan. 3.

The national numbers are seasonally adjusted, while the state numbers are not adjusted. Florida had a 4.2 percent unemployment rate in November, with the state’s December rate slated to be released Jan. 23.