Florida ’ s Jobless Rate Inches Upwards
Jim Turner , News Service
TALLAHASSEE --- Florida ’ s unemployment rate in April was the highest in more than two years as it inched up for a second consecutive month .
The state Department of Commerce on Friday released a report that estimated a 3.3 percent jobless rate , representing 361,000 Floridians qualified as unemployed in mid- April . The number of unemployed people was up by 8,000 from March . Meanwhile , the labor force totaled 11.095 million in April , down 2,000 people from a month earlier .
Jimmy Heckman , the department ’ s chief of workforce statistics and economic research , said the report shows “ really strong job growth ” for the month and that unemployment in the state remains “ very low by historical standards .” The national rate was 3.9 percent in April , up from 3.8 percent in March .
“ We ’ re still six-tenths of a percent lower than the national rate , which is also very low by historical standards ,” Heckman told reporters in a conference call Friday .
Heckman added that the state remains “ very favorable ” for job seekers , as private-sector employment increased by 42,600 in April and the number of job openings remained larger than the number of people out of work .
8 DITCHMEN • MAY 2024