Flagler County’s and Florida’s unemployment rates dropped significantly in March, to levels not seen since the end of 2008, solidifying an economic recovery and confirming what many local business owners, including car dealers, Realtors and bankers, have been saying for the last several months: the last quarter’s economic activity is the best they’ve seen since the beginning of the Great Recession.
Florida’s unemployment rate in March fell to 9 percent, from 9.4 percent the previous month, a big drop that brings the rate to its lowest level since January 2009. There were 836,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 9.3 million. The state added a net 10,800 jobs in March, and 89,800 jobs over the past 12 months.
Flagler County’s unemployment rate fell to 12.2 percent. It’s still the highest in the state, with the next-lowest rate in Hernando County, at 11.3 percent. But the labor force shrank only marginally in Flagler, and the number of people with jobs increased, suggesting that the unemployment rate is falling because people are returning to the workforce–and finding work–not because they’re abandoning it altogether, as they had at the depth of the recession.
There are fears, however, that the gains may be temporary. Nationally, layoffs are rising again, home sales are slowing, so is manufacturing as exports begin to feel the effects of Europe’s on-again financial crisis and oil prices remain high. For now, consumer confidence and car sales are still strong.
In Florida, Construction, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, professional and technical services and education services all saw job losses. Wholesale trade, administrative and waste services and tourism saw job gains.
There were 10 Florida counties with double-digit unemployment rates in March, down from 18 in February.
The Truth says
This is a process. Day by day, we will continue to grow as a nation again and people will get back to work. It will never happen over night, but it will happen.
Now, cue the fear mongering conservatives who will spin this into something negative and try and instill fear in all of our minds that our world is coming to an end. Do yourselves a favor and turn off Fox News, take a deep breath and start believing in our country again. We have a lot of work to do and our government needs to stop wasting tax payer money, but this is true for BOTH parties.
Truth Be Told says
This doesn’t confirm anything. They only reason it is probably lower is because most people already exhausted their benefits.
Outsider says
We don’t have to spin anything; Governor Scott said “Let’s get to work,” and we are. Spin that.
Anonymous says
“Uptick in Economic Activity”…yeah, sure.
More left wing propaganda. In FOX I trust! Those fine folks and of course my http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_stupid/Bunker_Bed_Gun_Storage/#287834 because ‘THEY’RE’ coming for me and my stuff.
B. Claire says
“Uptick in Economic Activity”…yeah, sure.
More left wing propaganda. In FOX I trust! Those fine folks and of course my http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_stupid/Bunker_Bed_Gun_Storage/#287834 because ‘THEY’RE’ coming for me and my stuff.
blondee says
I think many of the unemployed have moved out of Flagler county, consequenty lowering the unemployment rate. It only looks good on paper.
The Truth says
What he meant was: Let’s get to work on building my bank account
Since apparently, many things that he’s in support of are direct relation to companies he invests in. Hmmmm.
David says
So the unemployment rate dropped. I still would like to know what percentage of these jobs require a 4 year college education ?
Think first, act second says
The truth, so you would like for me to turn off Fox News, what would you suggest I watch Ed Smutz, Rachel Madcow, Tingles up his leg or some other bastion of impartial (yeah right) journalism? I believe in our country, just not it’s lying POTUS. How do you know what investments Scott has, are you his advisor?
Relish in our unemployment rate being down, and if you believe that is good news then why does it exceed the next highes county by more than 1 %? Are you sure there is good news here or is Truth be Told right, the unemployed have had to move out of the county to find employment? It’s kinda not germain because the POTUS will put them on welfare and food stamps so they become enamored by his want to think “charisma” and elect him to another four years of do nothing, because of that dependency?
NortonSmitty says
TFAS, there is not one thing you will see on any of the major news outlets is not completely controlled by this countries actual rulers. Its entire purpose is to appear diverse in perspective, but it’s diversity is limited to fostering on the citizens of this country with a truly meaningless Left/Right Democrat vs. Republican divide. We all know we are getting screwed, and to drum up the outrage, they pretend to tell us by who. The domestic media’s real job given to them by their Corporate Globalist owners (GE, Viacom, Murdock, etc) is to piss us off into a killing rage at each other, and while we are thus distracted, steal our countries wealth, solidify the boot to our throats and consolidate their control over us and the rest of the world. And boy, is it working!
Republicans are fed the script that they are the party of True Patriots, undying believers in the Main Street Capitalism that has made this country great for all it’s citizens,but has had not existed for thirty years and has no relevance in the new age of Global Capitalism today. But to point this out makes you one of the Liberal unwashed Socialists who want to turn us into a Commie Russian Hippie Freeloaders Paradise! The Enemy of all True Patriots, who would each die to save this country from your Nefarious Bolshevik Agenda.
And Democrats are convinced every day in Print and Blogs that Republicans are bitter Racists and selfish tools of the Big Fascist Business Elites. Obviously because they are nothing more than knuckle-dragging, half-educated, gravy sweating cousin fuckers too stupid to see The Truth when we tell it to them! Undeniably The Enemy of all Reason Worshiping, Fact Loving open minded Volvo lovers across the globe!
This bullshit script is spoon fed to all of us daily seamlessly without any real dissent by our Watchdog Press. Never a real analysis of how our politicians control of economic policies can shift capital from one section of the economy and population to another by manipulating tax policy and interest rates, you know, basic Economics 101 stuff. To even start a discussion of that is Class Warfare! And to point out that our War on Terrorism that was NOT a war against Islam, has somehow expanded from going after Al-Quida in Afghanistan to military attacks on Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Pakistan, and now Syria and Iran! Basically every Muslim country in the world that has a drop of oil or a pipeline, well we have to protect our Homeland Security. The fact that we haven’t had one attack or even a plot that was not sold by tan FBI plant in a decade shows you how well this is working. Civil rights be damned!
And no questioning of the dire need to reduce the deficit! Austerity, always Austerity!. We need to cut the funds to all of those Entitlement programs that we paid into all these years! Never mind that the Defense and related budgets are eating up about 75% of Federal Taxes collected to fund our Wars and Military Industrial Contractors and support groups like Haliburton, the REAL reason we are drowning in debt is that those damn Teaches have too good a pension!.
Fun Fact: We basically shut down NASA because we just can’t afford $19 Billion to explore space in these lean times. The line item in the 2010 Pentagon budget allocated to just Air Condition tents in Iraq and Afganistan? $20 Billion. Let that sink in if you would. We spent $20 BILLION FREAKING TAX DOLLARS MAINLY TO HALLIBURTON JUST TO AIR CONDITION THE TENTS FOR OUR SOLDIERS!
Not bombs, bullets, drones, pay & benefits, that’s in the Trillions. A/C! http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137414737/among-the-costs-of-war-20b-in-air-conditioning
But it’s imperative we cut Granma’s Medicare or we’ll go broke!
Don’t you think stats like that would be of interest to any real news organization? Any tax paying citizen?
The fact you have never heard it tells you all you need to know bout the legendary American Watchdog Press. The Fourth Estate that the Founders knew was the most necessary and important to preserving a “Well-Informed Electorate” to protect our democratic form of Government? What we get is a Right/Left bullshit dialog when Both Parties are bought and paid for before we cast our first vote, have no power to change things and wouldn’t be able to get any honest message to us about their choices even if they could actually choose.
If you are looking to get truth from FOX, NYT, NBC, CBS or any domestics, GFL.
It took Russia Today last week to break the story that there are tons of eyeless shrimp and messed up fish in the Gulf after the BP spill and the illegal Corexit dispersants used there, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB2l3d0UXBA&feature=related)
NortonSmitty says
(Continued)
WikiLeaks to show us our first picture of a dead body 8 years into the Iraq war, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0 , not to mention war crimes) and Al Jazeera to show us Khadaffi and Saddams dead bodies being abused. (http://79.143.180.216/news/16152_al-jazeera-journalist-reveals-how-he-got-the-scoop-on-gaddafi-s-death#.T5SSvMV14lA)
All of these show the inane content of our American Media. Lineral, Conervative or otherwise, It’s a joke meant to inflame, not inform.
The Truth says
I wouldn’t suggest any other news organization in particular, just one that doesn’t thrive off of instilling fear and hatred into it’s viewers. Everything that comes out of every anchors mouth at Fox is doom and gloom or hatred. If you don’t see this, you are already brainwashed by their crazy antics.
It’s not about watching one particular news organization over another. I prefer to get my news from the internet from multiple sources and develop my OWN opinion on what’s going on, rather than having my news organization TELL me what I should and should not think.
The Truth says
I’m also not relishing in anything. I believe we have a long way to go before we can “celebrate” but I’d rather hear this then the numbers going up. It seems any time there is any good news about ANYTHING in this country, the Fox News viewers of the world come in and rain on every party. Our country is resilient. We have to believe in our selves and not rely on our government. This country will turn around when people stop thinking their entitled to everything and start working hard again, regardless of what they have to do to earn money to make a living.
Instead, we have people who would rather collect unemployment for years instead of taking a lower paying job then what they’re accustomed too. We also have people who purchased homes during the hay day, took a gamble on the homes value in the future and took out HELOCs and second mortgages and spent everything they could. Now, home values continue to drop, largely in part due to the fact that many people are walking away from their homes because they’ll never see their values go up to what they owe. Most of those people, however, owe much more than what they paid for the house because they decided it was a smart idea to take out a second mortgage and spend spend spend.
We are all responsible for the position we are in, so why don’t we stop blaming government (previous administration and current administration) and start taking responsibility for our OWN actions.
palmcoaster says
@Norton S. If I could, I would give “10 likes”, but can type only one.
You are correct documenting the harsh reality that is dooming our country for well over a decade now.
Worried says
When businesses like Panera come in and do a mass hire it helps to stack the unemployment numbers a bit. But then after their hard opening they tend to fire about half their original staff and then hire very young employees that they can pay less. None of this truly helps our unemployment rate. It just screws with the numbers a bit. As everyone is aware our city needs to bring in businesses that will provide steady and decent paying jobs.
B. Claire says
The Truth…
This thread continues to highlight the intransigency of the FOX posters. They could not even give one quarter of an inch re the actual topic here…a hint of good economic news:
…..“Flagler and Florida Unemployment Rates Drop Sharply, Confirming Uptick in Economic Activity”…
It certainly looks like they may be in fear of invalidating a Fox Pledge of Allegiance…even if it benefits them and their family. [I must keep in mind this is the only species who invite into their homes and checkbooks those intent on taking both.]
I continue to do my due diligence and watch/read as many other sources/views [FOX case: abject, relentless untruths] as humanly possible. However, in FOX case…harder every day…
palmcoaster says
For those that sometimes try to blame some of our unemployment on the illegals, they are wrong. They been deporting illegals like never before at least for the past 3 years and real unemployment rates do not improve. Besides in reality we should know why someof us do not hate those illegals so much. This lady is the former schoolmate of my daughter: Jennifer Venokur Carter.
Thursday near Meridian, ID
I’m so proud that we, the citizens of Idaho will be holding a Press Conference about AZ SB1070. I completely drowned in a pool in 2004 during an epileptic seizure in AZ. It was a Mexican “ALIEN” that jumped in the pool, called 911, started CPR, and stayed with my 3yr old until the cops got there. I woke up in a medical helicopter with tubes in my throat, having just been revived. If this bill was in effect then I would have died right before my 3yr old’s eyes. Thank God he came to the USA seeking just the chance for a better life and doing so saved mine.