Lazaro Aleman: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 5.0 percent in February, unchanged from the previous month; the national rate, meanwhile, dropped another 0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent. In Madison County, it was 5.4 percent, again a notable drop from January’s 5.9 percent. And in Jefferson County, February’s jobless rate was 5.1 percent, a significant drop from January’s 5.8 percent. These stats, the latest released from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO), came out on Friday, March 24.
The reason for release of the January and February figures so near each other is that both reports were delayed because of an annual process known as “benchmarking,” a standard component of the estimation process that takes place every March across the country.
Statewide, 501,000 Floridians were unemployed in February out of a labor force of 10,058,000, not counting persons who had given up the job search, were underemployed, or employed part-time.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted total nonagricultural employment was 8,543,000 in February, a decrease of 5,000 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 5.4 percent rate translates into 404 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,415, compared with 432 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,348 in January when the rate was 5.9 percent. All told, 7,011 people were employed in Madison County in February, compared to 6,916 in January. In February 2016, the comparable figures were 407 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,347 and 6,940 employed when the unemployment rate was 5.5 percent.
For Jefferson County, the 5.1 percent rate translates into 280 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,542, compared to 319 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,481 in January when the rate was 5.8 percent. All told, 5,262 people were employed in Jefferson County in February, compared with 5,162 in January. In February 2016, the comparable figures were 282 jobless persons out of a workforce of 5,394 and 5,112 employed when the unemployment rate was 5.2 percent.
Statewide, the industry gaining the most jobs continued to be professional and business services, up 43,300 jobs; followed by trade, transportation, and utilities, up 42,000 jobs; education and health services, up 40,500 jobs; leisure and hospitality, up 40,300 jobs; construction, up 34,700 jobs; other services, up 16,100 jobs; manufacturing, up 11,900 jobs; financial activities, up 10,800 jobs; government, up 9,000 jobs; and information, up 300 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 Wakulla County at 3.9 percent. Hendry County continued to have the highest unemployment rate at 7.2 percent, followed by Sumter County at 7.0 percent and Citrus County at 6.7 percent.