CENTRAL FLORIDA -- Eyewitness News learned about one million people in Florida are currently looking for work. The state's unemployment rate topped 11 percent in September.

In most Central Florida counties, the unemployment rate is 11 percent or higher.

Flagler had the highest at 16 percent and Sumter County had the lowest at 9 percent. Orange County is at 11.5 percent.

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READ: Central Florida's Unemployment Rates

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Central Florida has not seen numbers that high since 1975.

Osceola County, with a 12.8 percent unemployment rate, saw the most dramatic increase since September.

As if 11.5 percent wasn't bad enough, some economists expect the unemployment rate to keep going up for another three years, which means offices like Workforce Central Florida are going to see a lot more people walking through their doors.

For five hours a day, rain or shine, Joe Smith holds up a sign. Smith says his job is his livelihood.

"I was struggling on unemployment. Trying to find a job, so I came over here and they help me out," Smith said.

Thousands of Central Floridians can only hope to be as lucky. The unemployment rate just reached a 34-year high, 11.5 percent. Experts expect it to keep rising.

“Some people at the state level are saying 13, but that could be something higher here,” President and CEO of Workforce Central Florida Gary Earl said.

According to Workforce Central Florida's database, there are more than 90,000 jobless people in the area, but only 758 jobs available.

“That is worse than 100 to 1 odds,” he said.

All counties have seen an increase. Osceola County feeling the largest spike, almost a full percentage point. Some of it is attributed to the more than 80 people laid-off by the county in September, but that's not all.

"A lot of companies are holding back new hires until they really see a rise in business activity," Earl said.

Economists don't expect things to turn around in the job market until business owners feel confident enough to take risks again, spend money and start hiring.

"There are some jobs out here, you just got to pray and trust in God," Joe Smith said.

Things will get worse before they get better. Some projections don't have Central Florida back down to about six percent until about 2015 to 2018.

In the meantime, experts expect numbers to stay where they are for the next couple of months as stores start hiring for the Christmas rush.