Sunshine Sentinel

Florida’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 5.1% in July, from 5% in June, even as the state gained 83,000 jobs, the state announced.

It marked the largest increase in jobs for the state in a year.

“The change in Florida’s unemployment rate ... reflects the significant increase in the labor force of 83,000 over the month, the largest increase since July 2020,” the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said in a statement. “This increase shows that Florida’s workforce continues to substantially grow.”

Over the last year, the unemployment rate has dropped by 6.4 percentage points, the state said.

“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida’s economy continues to provide widespread job opportunities across the state, indicated by 15 consecutive months of job growth,” Dane Eagle, secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said in a statement. “Florida’s unemployment rate continues to remain below the national average, and more people continue to return to the workforce, showing that Florida remains a leader in economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Job openings remain abundant, the state said.

“Data in the month of July indicates that there continues to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 545,000 jobs posted online,” the department said.

The consumer sentiment index increased in July by 2.2% to 84.1, the state said. The leisure and hospitality industry led job private sector growth, accounting for 25,600 new jobs. Education and health services were second with 10,000 new jobs.

However, Florida’s total non-agricultural employment is still below its level in February 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the state said.

Florida lost nearly 1.3 million jobs from February to April 2020 and has gained back 953,000 jobs, according to a news release. Over the last year, Florida has gained 356,700 jobs.

Florida’s unemployment rate of 5.1% is still lower than the national average of 5.4%.