By The News Service of Florida
The pace of first-time jobless claims in Florida dipped slightly over the past two weeks.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimated 4,956 initial unemployment applications were filed in Florida last week, down from a revised count of 5,041 the week ending Oct. 17.
Since the start of August, Florida has steadily averaged fewer than 5,400 new claims a week.
Florida’s jobless rate for September was 4.4 percent, or about 489,000 out of work from a labor force of 11.1 million. The jobless number has grown by 28,000 over the year while the workforce is up 21,000 in the same time.
The National Federation of Independent Business has reported small business owners have become “more cautious” about planning for the future.
Meanwhile, a report out this week showed CEOs surveyed by the Florida Council of 100 continued to express a positive economic outlook. But the third quarter survey showed expectations for sales, capital investment and employment were down from the previous quarter.
“Florida’s business leaders remain confident in opportunities to invest and grow,” Council Chairman George LeMieux said in a released statement. “Hiring expectations remain particularly strong relative to the nation, and investment expectations are substantially higher than a year ago.”
Nationally, an estimated 194,000 new unemployment claims were filed last week, down 1,000 from a revised count for the prior week.
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