Lazaro Aleman
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Notwithstanding a fourth consecutive month of an unchanged jobless rate at the state level, Madison County’s unemployment rate improved very slightly in August.
The latest released figures from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO) show Florida’s August jobless rate unchanged at 4.7 percent, which is still a 0.2- percentage point better than the national rate, which remained unchanged at 4.9 percent.
For Jefferson County, the report shows an August jobless rate of 5.2 percent, down from 5.5 percent in July. For Madison County, the August jobless rate was 5.3 percent, down from a revised 5.6 percent in July (originally reported as 5.5 percent).
Statewide, 454,000 Floridians were jobless in August, out of a labor force of 9,717,000 -- not counting persons who had given up the job search, were underemployed, or employed part time.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted total nonagricultural employment, meanwhile, was 8,392,400 in August -- an increase of 24,500 jobs over the month, according to the FDEO.
Seasonally adjusted means the numbers have been purged of seasonal and other factors that could skew the results. The numbers for the individual counties, however, are not seasonally adjusted.
For Madison County, the 5.3 percent translates into 398 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,446, compared with 420 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,470 in July when the rate was 5.6 percent. All told, 7,048 people were employed in Madison County in August, compared with 7,050 in July.
In August 2015, the comparable figures were 473 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,441, and 7,068 employed when the unemployment rate was 6.3 percent.
For Jefferson County, the 5.2 percent translates into 279 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,372, compared with 299 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,412 in July when the rate also was 5.5 percent. All told, 5,372 people were employed in Jefferson County in August, compared with 5,412 in July.
In August 2015, the comparable figures were 329 jobless persons out of a workforce of 5,402 and 5,073 employed when the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.
Statewide, the industry gaining the most jobs continued to be professional and business services, up 59,800 jobs, followed by education and health services, up 47,900 jobs; leisure and hospitality, up 38,000 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities, up 37,100 jobs; construction, up 22,000 jobs; government, up 18,500 jobs; financial activities, up 16,500 jobs; manufacturing, up 15,200 jobs; and other services, up 8,400 jobs. The only industry that continued to lose jobs over the year was information, which went down 3,600 jobs.
Monroe County continued to have the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.1 percent, followed by St. Johns County at 3.6 percent; and Lafayette County at 3.8 percent.
Hendry County continued to have the state’s highest unemployment rate at 11.6 percent, followed by Hardee County at 7.3 percent; and Glades County at 7.0 percent.