Flagler County’s May unemployment rate was down to 13.8 percent in May from a revised 14 percent the previous month (when initial figures by the state’s labor department had placed the rate at 13.8 percent). Flagler’s labor force of 32,766 has shrunk by 3 percent over the year, from 33,809.
In Florida, the unemployment rate continued to edge down, to 10.6 percent from April’s 10.8 percent, its best showing in two years. There were 980,000 unemployed Floridians last month. The state added 28,000 jobs, though the net increase overall in the past 12 months is still just 24,900 jobs, reflecting the extent of job losses along the way.
Flagler remains the county with the highest unemployment in the state, followed by Miami-Dade (13.7 percent) and Hendry County (13.3 percent). Monroe had the lowest unemployment rate, at 6.3 percent, followed by Liberty (6.5 percent) and Walton (6.6).
In May, compared with April, construction added 4,100 jobs, a 1.2 percent increase that reverses long losses in the industry. Trade, transportation and utilities added 5,900 jobs, Education and health services added 9,800, and leisure and hospitality added 6,700. The sector with the most job losses last month again as government, with 2,500 jobs lost, including 1,200 federal jobs and 1,000 local government jobs.
Over the past 12 months, most job gains were in leisure and hospitality, which added 45,100 jobs, a gain of 4.9 percent. That figure may take a dip in coming months as the state’s wildfires may have an impact on tourism.
Other industries gaining jobs over the year include private education and health services (a gain of 24,500 jobs, or 2.3 percent), trade, transportation, and utilities (10,500 jobs), professional and business services (6,600 jobs) and other services (800 jobs). Industries losing jobs over the year include government (a loss of 41,500 jobs, or 3.6 percent), construction (14,300 jobs), information (4,700 jobs), financial activities (1,300 jobs) and manufacturing (900 jobs).
mara says
Lovely. Even though Flagler’s unemployment is the highest, that so-called 10.6% will probably be enough for Gov. Scott to cut off unemployment benefits as soon as possible.
How scary is it that the Dade County percentage is not that much lower than Flagler’s, but the county has to be 4 or 5 times bigger than ours. Unbelievable.
This really stinks–WHERE ARE THE GOOD JOBS? People simply cannot support a family with a job that only pays 7 or 8 bucks an hour!
Governor, are you listening?
Jojo says
Mara, the Felon hopes they leave the State so they are not counted in the unemployment figures. Scott wasted no time reducing benefits to 20 weeks. After you have exhausted the 20 weeks of benefits, you are no longer counted in the system as unemployed.
The National Employment Law Project has labeled the Florida Legislature and Gov Scott’s actions a new low for Floridians. http://www.nelp.org/page/-/Press%20Releases/2011/PR%20NELP%20Florida%20UI%20Statement.pdf?nocdn=1
I am aware that people in this State are concerned with taxes and paying bills on fixed incomes but what about the children of families out of work. If there are 5 unemployed applicants for every job in the United States do we simply ignore these people through no fault of there own because they are out of work. Do we throw them to the curb.
I just don’t understand the mentality of our Gov and Republican dominated legislature. The crime is out of control. Every time I turn on the news someone is murdered.. Young men are unemployed and I see no hope for the unemployed.
I see a restless, hopeless and fragile economic State. We ask our elected officials locally here in Flagler County to create jobs and understand that it is foolish to blame them for the economic woes, yet, sat on your laurels as the economy flopped. This is the time we seek guidance from elected officials other than Rick Scott and an inept Florida legislature that is clueless about creating jobs only placing barriers on already burdened Floridians likened to being a roommate of Felix Unger – An obsessive distraction of cleaning up and fixing things while the house is falling apart on the outside. It’s a neurosis that will have widespread implications for Florida’s poor and Flagler’s job market. This from a man who set the bar of robbing taxpayers of over $300 million which I can’t even comprehend.
Will it take riots in this country for people to feed their children which will cost all of us spiritually and emotionally in the long term. Maybe that’s what it takes for legislators to wake up. I see us headed down that road.
Dorothea says
Jojo, good comment.
Mara, Dade County’s population is around 2,500,000. That makes its population about 25 times larger than Flagler County. That is a “scary” figure if roughly a quarter of that number constitute Dade’s workforce and more than 10% are unemployed.
Stuey says
Goverment needs a stimulus package that gives legal Americans a check for $250,000.00 each. This will start the economy back up and allow Americans to buy their morgages back from the banks. It will also allow millions to start up small businesses and hire help.This should have been done the first time instead of wasting the money on large corporations that have done nothing with it but cause our economy to tank.
native says
There has NEVER been any true industry to provide jobs in this little county and there NEVER will be. Palm Coast will a ghost town one day. Years ago when Flagler was the fastest growing county in the nation, young families flocked here without doing any research and ended up starting small home based service businesses that failed when building came to a screeching halt. Others thought they’d make it in Real Estate – we once had more realtors than homes for sale. Many schools were built and the kids graduating and going off to college will only be back here to visit Mom & Dad (if thery’re still here) – they certainly won’t be coming back here to work.