Florida’s unemployment steady at 3.3% amid job losses post-hurricanes

Florida had a drop in private-sector employment in October in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton, but the state’s unemployment rate remained at 3.3 percent for a seventh consecutive month.

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The state Department of Commerce on Friday estimated 369,000 Floridians qualified as out-of-work in October, up 1,000 from September, while private-sector employment fell by 38,200 jobs last month.

The labor force of 11.03 million people decreased by 9,000. Department of Commerce officials attributed the continued shrinking of the labor force — down 31,000 over the past year — to retirements among Baby Boomers and Gen Xers.

The 3.3 percent unemployment rate was up from 3.1 percent in October 2023 but lower than last month’s national rate of 4.1 percent.

The state saw brief bumps in weekly unemployment claims after Helene made landfall in Taylor County in late September and Milton crashed into Sarasota County on Oct. 9.

The jobless numbers are based on estimates from the middle of October.

Jimmy Heckman, the department’s chief of workforce statistics and economic research, said in a conference call Friday that data collection for October occurred during the week Milton made landfall.

Despite the drop in employment last month, the state had added 107,600 private sector jobs since October 2023. Heckman said private-sector job growth over the year-long period was up 1.2 percent, slightly behind the national rate of 1.3 percent.

Few employment sectors posted job growth in October, though a category of education and health services added 3,400 positions.

Meanwhile, employment in the leisure and hospitality category was down 18,500 jobs, construction jobs fell by 5,400, and manufacturing was off 1,100 jobs. Other losses came in categories such as financial activities and professional and business services.

Compared to October 2023, employment in manufacturing and financial activities had slightly decreased, while categories of trade, transportation, and utilities, education and health services, construction and leisure and hospitality had increases.

Across Florida, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area had the lowest unemployment rate in October at 2.9 percent.

The Panama City and the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin areas were at 3.2 percent. Among other regions, the Jacksonville and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford areas were at 3.5 percent. Pensacola was at 3.6 percent. and the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was at 3.8 percent.

The North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area, which sustained heavy storm damage, was at 3.9 percent, up from 3.7 percent in September.

The highest rate was in the Homosassa Springs area at 5.6 percent, while The Villages area was at 5.1 percent and the Sebring area was at 4.9 percent.

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

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