Florida jobless rate remains unchanged

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (NSF) - Florida’s unemployment mark held steady from May to June, the state Department of Economic Opportunity announced Friday.

The jobless rate of 3.8 percent reflected an estimated 387,000 Floridians out of work --- 4,000 fewer than in May --- from a growing workforce of more than 10.2 million. Gov. Rick Scott, who held a news conference at Hull’s Seafood in Ormond Beach to announce the numbers, issued a statement touting the creation of 16,900 private-sector jobs over the past month.

The state’s unemployment figure bettered the national mark, which rose from 3.8 percent to 4 percent from May to June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Florida was one of 38 states, as well as the District of Columbia, that had no changes in their unemployment rates.

Over the past year, Florida ranked third in terms of overall job creation, with 170,500 new jobs, trailing 359,500 new jobs in Texas and 269,100 in California, the U.S. Bureau of Statistics reported.

The lowest jobless marks last month in Florida were found in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin metropolitan statistical area at 3.1 percent, followed by Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford at 3.5 percent.

The highest unemployment rates for metropolitan statistical areas were in The Villages, at 5.7 percent, and Homosassa Springs, at 5.6 percent. Next highest was the Sebring metropolitan statistical area at 5.4 percent.

The statewide unemployment rate was seasonally adjusted, while the rates for the metropolitan statistical areas were not adjusted.