Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday that in January, Florida’s unemployment rate remained 3.5 percent.
In January, Florida’s unemployment rate decreased by 2.5 percentage points over the year to 3.5 percent, the same as it was in December, and continued to remain below the national rate of 4.0 percent. The U.S. Department of Labor’s revised historical data also now shows that Florida’s unemployment rate has remained below the national rate for 14 consecutive months. In January, Florida’s labor force participation total was 10,448,000, greater than Florida’s February 2020 pre-pandemic labor force, and increasing by 318,000, or 3.1 percent, over the year. Employment opportunities have also been amplified as Floridians remain confident in finding meaningful employment. There were 8,067,500 private sector jobs statewide in January, an increase of 124,700 (+1.6 percent) from February 2020.
The state’s total private sector employment increased by 23,900 jobs in January, which is an increase of 0.3 percent over the month. In January, total private sector employment increased by 496,700 jobs (+6.6 percent) over the year. The national over-the-year rate of increase was 5.2 percent in January.
“Florida’s January 2022 numbers and the U.S. Department of Labor’s updated data for 2021 demonstrate that Florida continues to have a robust economic climate where individual Floridians have opportunities to get ahead – even in the face of inflationary federal policies that are causing the price of virtually everything to spike,” said DeSantis. “Florida has surpassed 2019 numbers in almost every regard, including employment and labor force participation while lockdown states continue to lag.”
“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ relentless freedom first economic policies and no excuses approach, Florida is the best place for businesses and families to grow their footprints,” said DEO Sec. Dane Eagle. “DEO will continue to work hand-in-hand with its partners to create innovative and valuable opportunities for Floridians and their communities.”
Data in the month of January continues to indicate there are many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 450,000 jobs posted online. Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance on how to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve their employability by perfecting resume writing and interviewing skills, establishing career goals, and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.
The industries gaining jobs over the year included leisure and hospitality (+179,100 jobs, +17.4 percent); professional and business services (+100,700 jobs, +7.2 percent); trade, transportation, and utilities (+94,500 jobs, +5.3 percent); financial activities (+34,500 jobs, +5.7 percent); education and health services (+27,900 jobs, +2.1 percent); other services (+16,900 jobs, +5.2 percent); construction (+15,000 jobs, +2.6 percent); manufacturing (+14,900 jobs, +3.9 percent); information (+11,000 jobs, +8.3 percent); and total government (+7,300 jobs, +0.7 percent).
In January, Monroe County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate (2.3 percent), followed by St.Johns County (2.6 percent), and Wakulla County and Okaloosa County (2.8 percent each). Hamilton County and Putnam County had the highest unemployment rates (5.1 percent each) in Florida in January 2022, followed by Citrus County (5.0 percent), and Highlands County (4.9 percent).
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