Jobless Rate Dips as Return to Work Remains Sluggish
people was down 13,000 while the size of the labor force had grown by 50,000 .
While the state has ramped up efforts since May to push people back into the labor force , it has also seen the number of people leaving jobs , over issues including pay and benefits , jump from 193,000 in September 2020 to 264,000 in the latest report .
News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE --- While slightly above the national mark , Florida ’ s unemployment rate inched down to 4.9 percent in September as workers appear to have become more selective about jobs .
The state Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday estimated the state ’ s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was down from 5.0 percent in August . The rate was down 2.3 percentage points from September 2020 , when the state was completing its reopening after COVID-19 pandemic closings that began in March 2020 .
The new rate , which measured employment in mid-September , represented 517,000 Floridians out of work from a labor force of 10.59 million . The number of unemployed
“ Eventually , ( workers ) are going to have to decide , do they want to go back to work or are they just going to leave the workforce entirely ?” Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle said in a conference call with reporters . “ So , the message to employers is yes , look , if they ’ re having trouble hiring , they have to get creative . They have to make decisions about what do they want to do to market themselves to be attractive to those in the job market . And that ’ s free market economics . And that ’ s what we support here in Florida .”
Adrienne Johnston , the department ’ s chief economist , said people leaving jobs for other opportunities is a sign they are confident they can find better work .
“ While we are seeing an increase in people quitting since last year , what is really interesting about that is that they are quitting but they are still saying they are looking for work ,” Johnston said . “ Traditionally , this is considered to be an optimistic sign . That means people are
20 DITCHMEN • OCTOBER 2021