Florida ’ s unemployment rate held at 3 percent in May
Florida ’ s unemployment rate held at 3 percent in May , even as people exit jobs in search of better opportunities and concerns continue about the impacts of inflation .
TALLAHASSEE --- Florida ’ s unemployment rate held at 3 percent in May , even as people exit jobs in search of better opportunities and concerns continue about the impacts of inflation .
The state Department of Economic Opportunity released a report Friday that showed the unemployment rate unchanged from April . It estimated the number of Floridians out of work in May at 313,000 , down 8,000 from April and down 186,000 from May 2021 .
Meanwhile , the labor force stood at 10.59 million , up 49,000 from April . The state gained 468,100 jobs over the year , an increase of 5.3 percent . Nationally , the number of jobs rose 4.5 percent over the year .
Despite the gains , the state has seen increases in people leaving jobs for 14 consecutive months to pursue better pay and benefits .
Jimmy Heckman , bureau chief of workforce statistics and economics at the department , said in a conference call with reporters that the growth of people leaving jobs indicates “ individuals are more optimistic about their ability to find work if they leave their current job .”
20 DITCHMEN • JUNE 2022