Unemployment

Counties in southwest Florida saw an uptick in unemployment after Hurricane Ian. Here's how one charter boat captain in DeSoto County is faring.

October's jobless rate was 2.7%, up from a historic low of 2.5% in September.

In the four weeks before Ian made landfall Sept. 28, Florida averaged 5,498 unemployment claims a week. In the four weeks after Ian, the state averaged 10,779 claims a week.

Between September 2021 and September 2022, Florida’s labor force grew by 316,000, or 3%.

The unemployment rate of 2.7% is unchanged from July, and an estimated 293,000 Floridians were out of work last month.

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That's down from 3.2% in March. Gov. DeSantis said Florida picked up about 57,000 private-sector jobs last month.

Workers are shifting away from gigs at hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues for higher-paying jobs in manufacturing, warehousing and logistics.

The unemployment rate in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area was 2.9%, while the statewide number is down to 3.3%

The rate fell to 4.4%, meaning 466,000 Floridians now qualify as jobless. Gov. DeSantis says it shows economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the state has ramped up efforts to push people back into the labor force, it has also seen the number of people leaving jobs jump from 193,000 in Sept. 2020 to 264,000 in Sept. 2021.

The state also saw some improvements in its leisure and hospitality industry.