At the end of last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.6 percent in November, down from 2.7 percent in October.
The national unemployment rate stood at 3.7 percent.
“Florida’s private sector employment increased by 28,100 jobs over the month in November 2022, an increase of 0.3 percent. Florida’s total private sector employment increased by 5.2 percent (+420,700 jobs) over the year in November 2022, faster than the national private sector job growth rate of 3.6 percent over the same time period. Florida employers have added jobs for 31 consecutive months in November 2022,” the governor’s office noted.
“Florida’s continued success over the past two years is no accident. No matter the challenges, we have stayed on offense,” said DeSantis. “Florida’s economy is outpacing the nation for the second consecutive year because we have invested in our workforce and prioritized keeping Floridians at work and businesses open. As the new year approaches, we will continue investing in our workforce and infrastructure to create jobs and keep our economy moving forward.”
“While D.C. liberals and blue states are still exacerbating their self-inflicted inflation and supply chain woes, Governor DeSantis has continued his charge for Freedom First policies, and as a result Florida is literally hedging against a recession, growing its workforce, supporting new businesses and innovation, and leading the nation’s economic recovery,” said outgoing Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Sec. Dane Eagle. “People vote with their feet, and folks are running to the free state of Florida as fast as they can.”
“In November 2022, Florida’s labor force grew by 7,000 (+0.1 percent), while the national labor force declined by 0.1 percent over the month. Florida’s labor force grew by 352,000, or 3.4 percent, over the year in November 2022, more than double the national labor force growth rate of 1.5 percent over the same time period. In November 2022, Florida’s labor force participation rate was 59.5 percent, down 0.1 percent over the month, but up 1.0 percent over the year.
The leisure and hospitality sector gained the most jobs among all major industries — a great sign for an industry that is often the most reactive to challenges like hurricanes — adding 9,600 jobs (+0.7 percent) over the month, followed by education and health services adding 6,200 jobs (+0.4 percent) and construction adding 5,400 jobs (+0.9 percent),” the governor’s office noted.
In November, Miami-Dade County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 1.5 percent,followed by Monroe County at 1.6 percent and Okaloosa County and St. Johns County at 2.2 percent each.
Hendry County and Highlands County had the highest unemployment rate at 4.2 percent each in Florida in November, followed by Citrus County at 4.1 percent and Hamilton County at 3.9 percent.
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