ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in September, according to a report released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Friday.
According to the report, 84,500 more Floridians found work last month, dropping the unemployment rate of 5.0 percent in August to 4.9 percent for September.
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State officials said Friday the job growth in the Orlando area, despite the pandemic, has been notable. In September, the unemployment rate was 4.5 percent. In September of 2020, it was at 8.7 percent.
Florida's September job growth rate is three times faster than the nation. Florida has experienced 17 consecutive months of job growth with Florida gaining 84,500 jobs over the month, including nearly 73,000 private-sector jobs. View more: https://t.co/WBFoUt4C9a pic.twitter.com/kyvSqq3nkr
— Florida DEO (@FLDEO) October 22, 2021
The numbers were released a day after DeSantis called for a special legislative session to stop COVID-19 vaccine mandates from the White house.
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DEO Secretary Dane Eagle said, while numbers out for September 2021 don’t include any changes on vaccine mandates, there’s still speculation on what they believe might happen.
“The unemployment number goes up because those people are now in that unemployment field where they don’t have jobs connected to them, or they’re discouraged completely and leave the workforce altogether,” Eagle said. “Either case is not healthy for the economy. It’s not healthy for individuals.”
Florida's economy grew three times faster than the nation this past month.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 22, 2021
We are outpacing the nation because businesses know that Florida will stand up for them. https://t.co/pjvX9d0QoO
According to the DEO, the number of workers quitting their jobs is up from the same time last year, but said while those people may be quitting, they’re also still looking for work.
While Governor DeSantis said Friday Florida’s job growth was leading the country, the state unemployment rate remains slightly higher than the current national rate of 4.8 percent.
See the full DEO report below:
Florida Unemployment September 2021 by Charles Frazier on Scribd
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