Jobless rate climbs here; state remains unchanged

Florida’s January jobless numbers -- released on Tuesday, March 17, by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO) -- show the state’s seasonally adjusted rate at 5.7 percent, the same as the revised rate for the previous month, and the same as the U.S. unemployment rate for the month. The figures were released a month later than usual because of an annual practice known as benchmarking, which is conducted nationwide every March as part of an estimation and historical data revision process. In Florida, the process is performed by the FDEO in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. February’s jobless figures, meanwhile, will be released Friday, March 27. The January jobless numbers show Madison County with a rate of 7.0 percent, up from the revised rate of 6.5 percent in December. For Jefferson County, the January rate was a rate of 6.2 percent, up from the revised rate of 5.8 percent in December. Statewide, the report shows 551,000 Floridians were jobless in January out of a labor force of 9,698,000 -- 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 7,979,600 in January -- an increase of 13,900 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. Noteworthy, the numbers for the individual counties are not seasonally adjusted. “Compared to January a year ago, the number of jobs in the state was up by 274,100, an increase of 3.6 percent,” the FDEO states, a standard statement in every report except for minor adjustments in the numbers. For Madison County, the 7.0 percent translates into 525 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,514, compared with 496 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,619 in December, when the rate was 6.5 percent. All told, 6,989 people were employed in Madison County in January, compared with 7,123 in December. In January 2014, the comparable figures were 607 jobless persons out of a labor force of 7,657 and 7,050 employed when the unemployment rate was 7.9 percent. For Jefferson County, the 6.2 percent rate translates into 346 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,577, compared with 322 jobless persons out of a labor force of 5,549 in December, when the rate was 5.8 percent. All told, 5,231 people were employed in Jefferson County in January, compared with 5,227 in December. In January 2014, the comparable figures were 371 jobless persons out of a workforce of 5,450 and 5,079 employed when the unemployment rate was 6.8 percent. Statewide, the industry gaining the most jobs continued to be professional and business services, up 58,700 jobs; followed by leisure and hospitality, up 53,500 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities, up 52,300 jobs; private education and health services, up 43,100 jobs; construction, up 31,800 jobs; other services, up 13,900 jobs; financial activities, up 13,700 jobs; government, up 5,400 jobs; and manufacturing, up 2,500 jobs. The information sector was the only major industry to lose jobs over the year; it was reported down by minus 900 jobs. Monroe County continued to have the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 4.1 percent, followed by St. Johns County at 4.4 percent; Wakulla County at 4.9 percent; and Alachua, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties at 5.1 percent each. Putnam County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 8.4 percent, followed by Hendry County at 8.3 percent; Citrus County at 8.1 percent; Sumter County at 7.7 percent; and Hamilton, Gadsden and Taylor counties at 7.6 percent. No county had a double-digit unemployment rate in January or December, according to the FDEO.