Sunshine Sentinel

The rate of unemployment claims in Florida continues to drop and has almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to CBS 4 Miami News.

"Florida has reached a level of job growth only seen on four occasions in the past 30 years,"  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, according to an Oct. 25 press release. "... We are outpacing the nation because Florida is investing in real infrastructure, investing in workforce development and standing up for businesses. We will continue to work hard to keep Florida open, free and built for opportunity."

National unemployment claims declined by 14,000 during the last week of October from 283,000 to 269,000, according to WFLA News. This is the lowest number of claims since March 2020. 

"The news comes as Florida continues to show strong economic growth, especially compared to other states" WFLA reported. Florida saw 24,754 fewer claims compared to the previous year.

The job growth from Florida alone comprised nearly half of all new jobs in September 2021, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Sunshine Sentinel reported that for the month of September, unemployment in Florida decreased from 5% to 4.9%.

"While the entire nation gained 194,000 jobs in September, Florida gained 84,500 jobs in the same month – we are outpacing the nation in job growth and job opportunities because businesses know that Florida will stand up for them," DeSantis said in an Oct. 22 press release.