Last Updated: 11:06 a.m.
Florida added just 5,300 jobs in April, and the state unemployment rate would have risen back sharply had the labor department not revised its April figures to show a much higher unemployment rate than it announced last month.
May’s official unemployment rate is 8.6 percent. Last month, the state had announced that the rate had fallen to 8.3 percent. But today, in its latest calculations, it readjusted the April rate to 8.7 percent, thus creating the impression that the unemployment rate had fallen again. In its news release today, the state was also able to repeat the claim, made last month, that May’s unemployment rate is the lowest since December 2008.
Flagler County’s unemployment rate rose a fraction, from 11.6 percent in April to 11.7 percent in May. Flagler is now tied with Hendry County for the highest unemployment rate in the state. In Flagler, the number of people with jobs increased by 438 people, but the labor force also grew by 529, which added to the unemployment rate slightly. The county’s labor force remains smaller, by almost 400 people, than it was a year ago.
Nevertheless, Florida appears to be feeling the same effects of an economic slowdown affecting the national economy. Florida’s unemployment rate has been higher than the national rate since April 2008. Prior to 2008, the last time Florida’s rate was higher than the nation’s was in March 2002 (Florida was 5.9 percent, United States was 5.7 percent).
Within sectors, both job gains and job losses were modest, with tourism, wholesale and retail trade posting the largest gains (combining for a little over 8,000 jobs between those industries), and federal and state government again posting losses (a combined 6,400 jobs). Local government payrolls grew by 2,500, but those numbers may not outlast the summer budget season as local governments, Flagler’s among them, are again grappling with tighter budgets.
Here are jobs numbers for the past 12 months, as tabulated by the Florida labor department:
• Professional and business services gained 24,900 jobs ($49,185 avg. annual wage). Due to employment services.
• Trade, transportation, and utilities gained 21,300 jobs ($37,109 avg. annual wage). Due to clothing and accessory stores.
• Private education and health services gained 19,900 jobs ($43,686 avg. annual wage). Due to ambulatory health care services.
• Leisure and hospitality gained 16,100 jobs ($21,447 avg. annual wage). Due to accommodation and food services.
• Financial activities gained 5,700 jobs ($57,042 avg. annual wage). Due to real estate.
• Manufacturing gained 4,900 jobs ($51,848 avg. annual wage). Due to fabricated metal product manufacturing.
• Construction lost 22,200 jobs ($41,087 avg. annual wage). Due to specialty trade contractors.
• Total government declined by 13,100 jobs ($47,361 avg. annual wage). Due to state government.
• Other services declined by 3,900 jobs ($29,609 avg. annual wage). Due to repair and maintenance.
Gia says
I said it before, No light at the end of the tunnel until maybe the end of next year.
palmcoaster says
Look at those figures above. Like I said a Flagler County and its cities with barely 96,000 residents most barely scratching a living with “$39,000 income per each household” but paying cities, county, schools, law enforcement, EMS and fire “administrative positions” of over 70, 85,000 ,100,000 a year plus benefits vacation, medical and retirement? I am talking about the too many chiefs only!! Never mind the matching grants for airport that is not a public commuter utilized airline, or the waste in this Mickey-mouse FCT, that if you were not grand fathering, have to pay but can’t use. What is up with that?
A TDC, ED and BAC programs to just throw taxpayers hard earned dollars out the window while financially securing at high/handsome pay for the elite. Do not cut our helicopter, instead have us pay the bills owed for its services and restrict the use only to real emergencies. No new jail, partition the justice center and use it for the less aggressive waiting for trial. Rent out the wasted space in the Taj-Mahal reduce the lavish size offices get to a more realistic like what a single family has to restrict itself if they are lucky to have a household income of maybe $39,000/year. It’s easy for all these administrators, lawyers and bosses at king ransom compensations, in our pockets, to demand from us to contribute more!
Anonymous says
all these stupid percentages ,bottom line is that florida needs to get with the real world as far as hourly rate. this state is at least 10 years behind the times for example what they pay their nurses with a bsn but the idiots will say we give you the sunshine and the ocean like the governmemt made it.
palmcoaster says
Tomorrow 9 am County Commission Meeting in the Taj Mahal, amphitheather…Is the BOCC going to address Coffey’s failing budget of 5.95 million short, last I heard…or will Barbara Revels and the rest of the seating BOCC keep the unjustified attacks on Mrs. Kimberle Weeks our good/honest SOE to distract from the real issues? If the tax payers of this county care enough about the probably additional taxes to be imposed on us, to justify the waste, better be present at this meeting tomorrow at 9 am.