In contrast to the national jobless rate, Florida’s unemployment rate rose 0.1-percentage point in May, up to 5.7 percent from the previous month’s 5.6 percent. This according to the latest figures released by the Florida Department of Economic Development (FDEO). The U.S. unemployment rate, meanwhile, was 5.5 percent in May, up 0.1-percentage point from April’s figure of 5.4 percent. For Madison County, the 6.4 percent translates into 488 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,612, compared with 474 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,564 in April, when the rate was 6.3 percent. All told, 7,124 people were employed in Madison County in May, compared with 7,090 in April. In May 2014, the comparable figures were 571 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,874 and 7,303 employed when the unemployment rate was 7.3 percent.
Statewide, the industry gaining the most jobs continued to be leisure and hospitality, up 52,900 jobs; followed by trade, transportation and utilities, up 52,000 jobs; private education and health services, up 50,000 jobs; professional and business services, up 43,500 jobs; construction, up 28,200 jobs; financial activities, up 16,800 jobs; other services, up 16,500 jobs; government, up 4,900 jobs; and manufacturing, up 4,200 jobs. In Jefferson County, the May jobless rate was 6.0 percent, up from 5.6 percent in April, and in Madison County, it was 6.4 percent, up from April’s revised rate of 6.3 percent. Statewide, 545,000 Floridians were jobless in May out of a labor force of 9,614,000 -- not counting those who have quit searching, are underemployed, or employed part time. Florida’s seasonally adjusted total nonagricultural employment, meanwhile, was 8,059,100 in May -- an increase of 17,100 jobs over the month, according to the FDEO. Seasonally adjusted means the numbers are purged of seasonal and other factors that could skew the results. The numbers for the individual counties, however, are not seasonally adjusted. For Jefferson County, the 6.0 percent translates into 324 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,403, compared with 305 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,471 in April, when the rate was 5.6 percent. All told, 5,079 people were employed in Jefferson County in May, compared with 5,166 in April. In May 2014, the comparable figures were 349 jobless persons out of a workforce of 5,465 and 5,116 employed when the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. The information sector alone continued to lose jobs over the year; it was down minus 300 jobs.
Monroe County continued to have the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.8 percent, followed by St. Johns County at 4.0 percent; Okaloosa County at 4.6 percent; Franklin and Walton counties at 4.7 percent each; and Alachua, Santa Rosa and Wakulla counties at 4.8 percent each. Hendry County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 8.6 percent, followed by Citrus County at 7.7 percent; Putnam County at 7.6 percent; Sumter County at 7.5 percent; and Highland County 7.3 percent. No county had a double-digit unemployment rate in May, according to the FDEO.