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and across the nation appear to have used the pandemic to seek better jobs . The U . S . Department of Labor reported 4.4 million Americans left jobs in September , simply quitting or finding new employment .
The state and national unemployment rates have declined after a summer surge of COVID-19 cases linked to the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus . On Thursday , the U . S . Department of Labor reported that an estimated 268,000 firsttime jobless claims were filed nationally during the week that ended Nov . 13 , marking the seventh straight week of declines in applications . White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday pointed to such indicators and touted President Joe Biden ’ s handling of the economy . “ This is further evidence that the president ’ s success in getting Americans vaccinated , getting economic support to the middle class , means that our recovery has positioned us better than any of our peers for continued strong economic recovery ,” Psaki said . followed by 3.4 percent in the Naples- Immokalee-Marco Island area and 3.5 percent in the Gainesville area . The tourismdependent Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area was at 4.4 percent , while the Miami- Fort-Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area dropped to 4.0 percent for October .
The Pensacola area and the Tampa-St . Petersburg-Clearwater area were at 3.8 percent , the Jacksonville area was at 3.7 percent , and the Deltona-Daytona Beach- Ormond Beach area was at 4.3 percent . The Sebring metropolitan statistical area had the highest rate at 5.4 percent . The Villages and Homosassa Springs areas were at 5.2 percent . The county and metropolitan rates are not seasonally adjusted , while the statewide rate is adjusted .
Across Florida , the lowest unemployment in October was in Monroe County , at 2.5 percent , followed by St . Johns County at 2.9 percent and Wakulla County at 3.1 percent . At the other end of the spectrum , Hendry County had the highest rate at 6.3 percent . Other largely rural counties had some of the highest rates , with Putnam County at 5.9 percent and Highlands and Hamilton counties at 5.4 percent . Regionally , the lowest unemployment rates were found in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metropolitan statistical area at 3.2 percent ,
32 DITCHMEN • NOVEMBER 2021