Northeast Florida Unemployment Rises to 4.8% as Labor Force Shrinks by 2,287
Updated
Updated · WJXT News4JAX · Sep 18
Northeast Florida Unemployment Rises to 4.8% as Labor Force Shrinks by 2,287
3 articles · Updated · WJXT News4JAX · Sep 18
Summary
4.8% unemployment in Northeast Florida left 42,342 residents jobless in August, up 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier and 0.2 points above Florida’s 4.6% rate.
877,991 people were in the region’s labor force, down 2,287 from a year earlier, while the Jacksonville metro jobless rate eased to 4.8% from 4.9% in July but remained above last year’s 4.4%.
Putnam County posted the region’s highest unemployment rate at 5.6%, followed by Baker at 5.0% and Duval at 4.9%; Nassau had the lowest at 4.6%.
803,800 nonfarm jobs in the Jacksonville metro were up just 500 year over year, with education and health services adding 4,500 jobs and professional and business services adding 2,300.
1,376 openings for retail salespersons led the region’s current demand, ahead of 1,041 fast-food workers and 901 registered nurses, underscoring where hiring remains strongest despite the higher jobless rate.